Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past five years, you’re well aware that the cultured pearl market is in the midst of a dramatic transformation. In place of yesteryear’s classic, demure, and exceedingly simple pearl styles, the organic gems are now the star attraction in fashion-forward statement pieces featuring unexpected, and unexpectedly colorful, settings.
Exhibit A: pearls and colored gems in fetching combinations.
When paired with faceted or hard stones in complementary or contrasting colors, pearls feel resolutely modern. Take the newest member of Harwell Godfrey’s Cleopatra’s Vault collection, a necklace featuring a minty green chrysoprase pendant in a pale blue turquoise frame strung from the designer’s 18-inch Akoya Pearl Foundation necklace. Fit for a queen (of Egypt)!
Whether they’re Tahitian pearls teamed with bright gems in colors that enhance the former’s undertones (see Assael’s dashing pink-purple drop earrings) or freshwater pearls literally studded with gems, as in Katerina Marmagioli’s festive pink pearl ring, the upshot is the same: If you’re aiming to persuade your customers that pearls are, indeed, fashion’s latest muse, stock up on styles that show them in concert with colored stones. The harmonies are undeniably seductive.
Top: Paisley earrings in platinum with South Sea cultured pearls and 6.77 cts. t.w. paisley-cut Mozambique aquamarines, $26,000; Assael
Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazineFollow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
