Everyone loves pearls at the moment; they feature heavily in a lot of new jewellery collections from big designers and the high street.
Jewellery created with precious metals and other precious or semi-precious stones will include freshwater or seawater pearls, because they are all natural “ingredients”.
And now there is a focus on sustainability, with lab-grown gems becoming more popular and affordable. I don’t see why we can’t make more room for synthetic pearls in our fine and demi-fine jewellery pieces.
The difference between lab-grown and synthetic gems is basically that lab-grown gems are real gems, with the same chemical structure as their natural counterparts, but there is more control over how they’re formed so they have fewer imperfections. Whereas synthentics are often made from glass or crystal, cut or shaped to give the appearance of the real thing.
But they still have the look of the real thing, and can still be used in the same ways. And in others that the natural ones cannot, such as being exposed to higher temperatures without so much risk of damage.
Natural, freshwater pearls are very sensitive to heat and chemicals; general care advice is to put on your pearl jewellery after you’ve dried your hair and put on any makeup and perfumes, and make sure they are wiped down and completely dry before you store them in your jewellery box (completely flat, on their own, away from other pieces to avoid scratching). However, it’s also recommended that you wear them everyday, as they benefit from the moisture in the air.
The synthetic pearls I prefer to use are not that “fussy”. You can top-up your makeup and perfume without taking them off, and they aren’t going to get scratched and scuffed if you wear them with other jewellery. You should probably still give them a quick wipe every now and again, though.
Unlike a lot of faux pearls made of paste or resin and so on, they are also made in a way that mimics the formation of a natural pearl: they have a “nucleus” (a lead-free crystal base) and layers of nacre are built up around it until they reach the required size and shape. I’m sometimes tempted to try splitting one open to see what it looks like inside, but I’ve not been brave enough yet. I say ‘brave’, but that’d be one less pearl to string on a necklace or bracelet, and I’m not about to waste good materials here.
But the main reason I love them is all the different shapes and shades they’re available in, without the prices fluctuating so wildly. I still tend to prefer the spherical, cream-coloured ones, though.
Most of my pearl-heavy pieces use gold- or silver-plated base metals, out of habit, more than anything. But I would like to am going to start using precious metals as well. Particularly sterling silver. Such a lovely metal to work with, and very lustrous and reflective; just what pearls of any kind need, really.
I’m picturing a bridal collection, with a bit of colour and sparkle, just right for summer time. I should probably look up how to make those decorative hair-comb thingies. Or at the very least learn the proper name for them.
So I best be off; got a lot of research to be getting on with! I intend to be back soon – perhaps with a new project related to something I may have just been talking about – so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss future posts. And of course, likes and comments are muchly appreciated.
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BRIDGE JEWELLERY 