by Converse Roberts
Fink's Jewelers, Northlake Mall, Charlotte, NC
sales.northlake@finks.com
It shouldn’t be shocking in the least that Cartier bought his famed Fifth Avenue store for a double strand of them. After all, Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn wore them with style and grace, and the Princess of Monaco chose to accessorize with them for her legendary royal wedding extravaganza. Sophisticated and ultra-feminine, pearls have long been every fashionista’s favorite. Like our cherished little black dress, pearls are a must in every well dressed lady’s jewelry wardrobe. A collection without them would be, well, a very incomplete collection at that…
Legend has it that Cleopatra (one of history’s best dressed women) once drank a crushed pearl, then valued at $1 million, in vinegar, to prove to Marc Anthony that she could throw the most decadent dinner party of their time.
Whether worn in drops as Teri Hatcher did at the Golden Globes with her David Yurman earrings, or as studs accented with diamonds with a fabulous pair of designer jeans and fitted t-shirt, pearls have an enduring elegance that scream true style like no other. And to imagine that wearing pearls was once a crime severely punished for those not of extreme wealth and privilege!
With the vast depletion of natural pearls, such options would never have been possible if not for the grueling years sacrificed by Kokichi Mikimoto in the name of researching pearl cultivation. American genius, Thomas Edison, upon meeting with the Pearl King, remarked that, “This isn’t a cultured pearl, it’s a real pearl. There are two things which couldn’t be made at my laboratory – diamonds and pearls. It is something which is supposed to be biologically impossible”. Experts all over the world agreed with Mr. Edison that there were no differences between the natural pearl and Mikimoto’s cultured pearl!
Thanks to his brilliant discovery, years later the Mikimoto Company offers a collection so stunning Grace Kelly would surely approve. For those of us that have the desire to add these luminous beauties to our collection, it’s easier than ever. Mikimoto celebrates their 150th anniversary this June with an unheard of twelve month, deferred interest, financing. Although no longer a crime to wear luxury pearls, it certainly would be to pass on Mikimoto’s generous offer!
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Items featured in this blog:
Mikimoto 7-7.5" Akoya Pearls in Motion Necklace and Earrings
Mikimoto Black South Seas Pearls in Motion Necklace and Earrings
David Yurman Silver Pearl Bead & Chain Necklace
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Converse Roberts holds a GIA Graduate Jeweler degree, the Jewelry Design, Casting, Mold Making certificates, and is currently studying to earn the Graduate Gemological Degree, all from GIA.