Pearls, you either love them, hate them or are indifferent to them. Want to know how I, as a jewellery designer feel about them?
As an object they are beautiful, lustrous, intriguing and are found in the ocean so for me they tick a lot of boxes. As an object to wear however, I have to admit that apart from a beautiful pair of pearl studs that I was given for my 16th Birthday by my very British Grandmother, I have never really worn them.
Years ago I went to a trade fair in London and became seduced by the strings of fresh water pearls on display in the traders section of the show. I left with more strings than I needed (and one or two more of sapphires, rough diamonds and other gems!)
As is typical of jewellery designers, we love shiny things and can sometimes buy more than we need of any one component, gem or material, ending up with drawers and drawers of materials that are then forgotten in pursuit of the next project. At the time, I did make several jewellery pieces combining the pearls with the uncut diamonds and sea glass and those pieces sold super quickly in my shop.
Pearls are now making a revival and designers are creating alternative looks and ways of designing with them, from the traditional look you may think of. Several customers have requested custom pieces of handmade earrings combining pearls and sea glass and this prompted me to dig out my strands and start designing with them again. The result is a mini collection of earrings made with sea glass and pearls and mixing rose gold, gold and silver metals.
To receive an invitation to shop the collection when it drops you need to be on my Sea Glass VIP List. Join here and I will also gift you 10% off your first online purchase as a thank you.
These online pieces won't be available in my jewellery shop in Tamborine Mountain, but I will have a similar collection available in store as well as at Handmade Canberra Market, October 29th / 30th, 2022.
