Why do Fashion Designers Stray Away from Pearls?

Have you ever wondered why we see so little pearls on catwalks? Pearls are one of the most feminine and universally flattering gemstones and yet they often get a cold shoulder from the fashion designers of this world. Naturally there are notable exceptions, such as Chanel, but overall most fashion power houses will readily choose sparkly diamonds or bold-colored sapphires, rubies, or emeralds over delicate and shimmery pearls.  

I have given this a lot of thought, and I finally settled on red carpet events as at least one of the guilty parties. Why, you ask? Let me explain.

Izabel Goulart wearing emerald statement necklace and Dita Von Teese rocking pearl earrings at Cannes Film Festival
Photos via Harper's Bazaar

On one hand, we have flash-hungry celebrities that want to shine during such events. Figuratively, yes, but mostly they want to literally exude sparkle from every earlobe, finger, neckline, or toe. They want to be seen and admired. They work closely with fashion designers to put together head-turning outfits and accessories in the hope that they’ll help to maximize their media presence. On the other hand, outfits seen at the Oscars, Grammy’s, or MTV Awards, just to mention three, all set the tone for the current and upcoming fashion trends, so designers produce their trend-setting jewelry pieces to be shown off during such events. Again, this means most of them are more likely to create over-the-top, daring, and highly visible pieces (read: *Bling*Bling* ;o)

Emily Blunt wearing ruby earrings to Golden Globes and Zoe Saldana adorned with pearl earrings in Cannes
Photos via Harper's Bazaar and Trend911

Unfortunately, one of the easiest ways of attracting the general public’s attention – you and me! - or that of photographers to begin with, is to wear something bold and/or sparkly that screams big money. As often as not, the resulting jewelry pieces   are not feminine, maybe not even flattering - but definitely loud and audacious. As for the pearls, well… their delicate shine suffers and their beautiful colors tend to disappear when overpowered by the strong flashes of today’s cameras, so they are not as photo-attractive on the red carpet as their more sparkly and colorful alternatives. Also, from a designer’s point of view, pearls are more difficult to work with because their special sheen, voluptuous forms, and ethereal appeal require more creativity in marrying them with modern and daring styles. In consequence, the fashion scene has fallen in love with the fire of diamonds and the boldness of rubies. Don’t get me wrong, I love diamonds and colored gemstones too - but I would love to see more pearls on today’s catwalks.

So if you are a designer and reading this: Hi there! Please include pearls in your fashion repertoire. We love them dearly and they love us back even more. I dare you, show me one woman who doesn't look good in pearls!

PS. Luckily, I have noticed some changes in this bling-fever. Details in our next blog post :o)

How are Pearl Earrings made?

Have you ever wondered how pearl earrings are made? What happens before you wear a pair of well-matched pearl studs?

It is a long process! It all starts with a big bag filled with pearls that have already been sorted for their body color, size, shape, and surface quality by the pearl farm. The bag you see on the first photo is actually considered as a small one. Sometimes we have to go through four times as much to find the “pearlfect” fit!

We work in batches. We always go for the bag with the very best quality pearls. We divide them into several trays and search for the most lustrous and roundest of these pearly beauties. Sometimes we feel like a team of Cinderellas, separating the good grains from the bad!

Naturally, the more pearls we take out of the tray, the more we risk considering as good ones because some of the remaining pearls will suddenly look better if left with the less-lustrous ones. This is why once we have made our initial selection we inspect every single one of them to make sure you get the best, the roundest, and the prettiest of them all!  On this second pass, we take out quite a bunch of the ones we had initially selected.

The ultimate beauties get their spot on a sorting leaf. Then the pairing process can finally begin! It can be hours before we start pearl matching. Our skilled staff makes sure your pearls look as identical as each other as possible.  Absolutely perfect matches are very rare and a whole lot more expensive because, like snowflakes, each pearl is unique!  We carefully study the size, body overtones, and luster of each pearl that matches our quality requirements.  We look for pearls that reflect the light in similar ways and display similar color play on their surface.  It’s not an easy task! Just to give you an example, white pearls can have pink, silver, greenish, blue, ivory, or multicolored overtones.

This is why only a tiny fraction of each pearl bag ends up in our collection of pearl earrings. From this particular bag filled with thousands of pearls we only selected a few dozen pairs, or less than one percent of the cream of the crop, that were deemed worthy of your earlobes :o)

Not all pearl companies work in this way. Many cut corners and leave the matching process to pearl wholesalers. Such companies buy paired pearls in bulk and hope for the best, which is unfortunately far too often wishful thinking. This is yet another reason to only choose reputable pearl vendors who only carry only high quality pearls.

Let’s go back to our pair of earrings. We have already selected finest pearls.  Now we have to drill them before we can affix earring findings onto them. This is an optional step because oftentimes pearls are already drilled at pearl farms and ready for setting. Again, drilling pearls requires skills and attention. You don’t want to damage the pearl surface!

Once pearls are drilled, they are ready for setting… and voila! Your earrings are ready to adorn and be admired!

New Year's Greetings

Happy New Year to Everyone! May every great new day fill your happiness treasure chest! 
:o)

4 Things Every Woman should have in her Closet

What every woman should have in her wardrobe? A flattering pair of jeans, a white silk shirt, and a casual blazer. Why? They all look good together, so they are a safe bet on days when you simply can't decide what to wear. They also make a great canvas for other, more daring clothes. How to accessorize them? With pearls, naturally!

We particularly love the black & white color combination in pearl necklaces, which gives them a modern tough-luxe feel. This juxtaposition of contrasting tones has lately become very popular on fashion runways. The necklace shape of a casually tied chain is very versatile and works well with unbuttoned shirts or v-neck necklines that are flattering to all of us. Our version of the necklace costs only $73 and its intricate silver chain beautifully complements the two 8.5 mm drop pearls.

Casual Friday Spree vs. Steal by lovemypearls featuring a white pearl necklace

Yang & Yin white pearl necklace
US$ 73 - love-my-pearls.com

Remember, looking stylish doesn't require spending your entire salary on your clothes! To prove it to you, we created two versions of the same outfit. The less expensive version that includes our Yan & Ying pearl necklace costs only a fraction of the high fashion pieces, but the look is almost the same!

What every woman should have in her wardrobe? A flattering pair of jeans, a white silk shirt, a casual blazer ...and a pearl necklace to wear with them.