Fashion

At Winterson we offer three pearl jewellery sets for brides that will be perfect for wearing with most bridal outfits on your special day.

 

One of the most feminine and graceful colours, white became the traditional colour for brides to wear at weddings in Europe and America in the 19th century. A symbol of purity, innocence and grace, white continues today to be the most popular colour for a bride’s wedding day.

 

Pearl jewellery is a perfect choice to match the elegance of a white wedding dress. Pearls have unique properties. Their white and reflective surface will enhance the crisp brightness of a dress and flatter a bride’s complexion.

 

These classic and versatile pieces can also be enjoyed again and again as favourite items in any jewellery box and collection.

BRIDAL PEARL AND DIAMOND PENDANT AND EARRINGS SET

 

This elegant pendant is made with a white freshwater pearl in the shape of a teardrop, set with a sparkling diamond and presented on an 18 carat white gold chain. It is accompanied by pretty white freshwater pearl earring studs, that are also finished with 18 carat white gold.

 

This beautiful bridal set is a perfect finishing touch to a bride’s attire that will subtly accessorise the dress.

PEARL WEDDING NECKLACE AND EARRINGS SET

 



 

The classic look of the white Freshwater pearl necklace might be the irresistible choice for the bride-to-be. This wedding necklace and earring set is made with white freshwater pearls, which have been chosen for their excellent lustre and beauty.

 

The jewellery is finished with 18 carat white gold and the necklace is also available with a silver magnetic clasp.

CLASSIC AKOYA PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS SET

 



 

Akoya pearls are a traditional type of pearl, originally farmed in Japan. They are characterized by their white color with an overtone of pink, making them an ultimate feminine gemstone.

 

This classic Akoya pearl necklace, bracelet and earring set is finished with 18 carat white gold and is one of our favourite bridal jewellery sets.

 

Visit our bridal pearl jewellery, wedding necklaces and bridal earrings collections for other exquisite designs and jewellery sets that will match the emotion of the occasion.

Whilst a single strand necklace of white pearls might be a sign of understated elegance, a multi strand pearl necklace layered with large, luxurious pearls will always turn up the glamour.

Some of our most popular, powerful and loved women have chosen to wear this type of necklace with its legendary style.

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, pictured above, was frequently setting the style of the moment with her triple strand of faux pearls. In this famous series of images of her in India in 1962, the First Lady is wearing a princess length triple row necklace, with an apricot silk dress and long white gloves.

Layering long mixed strands of pearls, chains and other stones has not only been a sign of jewellery fashion in recent years, but also consistently throughout history.

This beautiful portrait of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Duchess of York, by Hungarian painter Philip Alexius de László in 1925 shows the Queen Mother wearing a long pearl necklace with three strands of pearls.

The necklace lays elegantly across the shoulders, with the Duchess holding the longest strand in her right hand, as if telling us of her affection for these lustrous gems.

Perhaps the most famous multi strand necklace of recent times is Holly Golightly's famous five strand pearl necklace in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Although the pearls used for this statement necklace were imitation, the flattering effect of layering pearl strands captured the public's imagination and continues to be in vogue today.

At Winterson, we offer two styles of multi strand pearl necklace.

Our Triple Strand Freshwater Pearl Necklace with Diamond Clasp is made with the prettiest of round to near round freshwater white pearls, graduated from 4 to 8.5 millimeters in diameter. The pearl matching is excellent and the lustrous gems are held in position with a sparkling 18 carat white gold diamond clasp.

Worn with a fitted pencil dress, this graduated pearl necklace will effortlessly create an elegant vintage look.

For a versatile multi-strand necklace, our Long White Freshwater Pearl Rope Necklace with Silver can be worn long in a single strand, like a flapper necklace, but may also be twisted two or three times around the neckline. With three twists, this choker length multi strand pearl necklace can be dressed up or dressed down depending on the occasion.

With there being so many varieties and types of freshwater pearls available today, if you are thinking of choosing a freshwater pearl necklace, there can be a few subtleties in choosing the right one.

To help you think through the options, here are five types of freshwater pearl necklace that might match your style or that of a loved one you wish to surprise with a gift.

CLASSICALLY PRETTY

 

The princess length white freshwater pearl necklace is a truly classic necklace. Made with round to near round freshwater pearls, typically ranging in size from 6.5 to 8.5 mm in diameter, this necklace will match nearly any style or colour.

 

Beautifully versatile, it can be worn casually with a pair of jeans or dressed up with a glitzy evening gown.

When choosing this jewellery box essential, look for a high lustre pearl, as the essence of this necklace lies in the reflective beauty of its pearls.

NATURALLY PASTEL

 

Freshwater pearls come in a variety of natural pastel colours - pink, lavender and orangey apricot. These soft colours combine with the shining nacre of the pearl to create subtle and elegant pearl necklaces.

 

A multicolour freshwater pearl necklace is feminine, easy to wear and will flatter any skin tone or light coloured outfit.

When choosing a colourful freshwater pearl necklace, our advice would be to avoid dyed or treated pearls as overtly bright or dark colours will have a less natural look, may fade gradually over time and will lose their feminine beauty.

MODERN BAROQUE

 

Alongside the round pearl, freshwater pearls may have more creative irregular shapes. Keshi pearls, as they are usually called, are formed as a result of pearl culturing techniques. At times overlooked by women, today quality keshi pearls with high lustre and clean surfaces are sought after by designers to make stunning pearl jewellery.

A keshi pearl necklace can add a contemporary twist to the classic pearl necklace and can be versatile and worn every day.

FLAPPER FASHION

 

Extending the length of a freshwater pearl necklace evokes a different era of fashion. The sautoir, or rope necklace, is 95 cm in length or more and can be strung with round or near round pearls, but also button or oval shaped freshwater pearls.

For a look reminiscent of the roaring 1920s, the freshwater pearl sautoir is a necklace that can be worn fluidly down to the waist, twisted up to three times around the neckline in multiple strands or tied in a knot at the front.

VINTAGE GLAMOUR

 

Smaller to larger freshwater pearls that are graduated in size from back to the front of the necklace can create a particularly elegant and refined necklace. The pearls should be round to near round in shape and carefully matched, usually from 5mm to 8mm in diameter.

 

For a more glamorous style, these graduated pearl necklaces may be strung together in multiple strands using a special type of clasp.

With this type of necklace, the matching of pearl sizes is important for its finesse, so look for a well matched and steady graduation.

If you happened to wander past Somerset House in London last weekend, you may have caught a sense of the semi-annual excitement that is London Fashion Week (LFW).

For the last 5 days, some of the UK's outstanding designers have been unveiling their carefully assembled new season's fashions and accessories for Autumn Winter 2013.

LFW this year hosts The Rock Vault again with fine jewellery being exhibited in the West Wing of Somerset House. The group of 10 talented jewellers included Fernando Jorge, Hannah Martin, Husam El Odeh, Imogen Betfield, Jo Hayes Ward, Melanie Georgacopoulos, Sophie Bille Brahe, Tomasz Donocik, Yunus & Eliza, and for the first time, Alice Cicolini.

Alice Cicolini is a London based jeweller who studied at the London College of Fashion and received her MA in Jewellery Design from Central Saint Martins. Her jewellery designs are characterised by richly coloured gems and covered with the deep, jewelled tones of vitreous enamel.

Alice explains “Coming from a curatorial background, my work blends influences from many sources - for example, Bauhaus costume, mid-century British ceramics, traditional South Asian and Far East Asian textiles, and of course the possibilities opened up by the craftsmanship.”

At Winterson we have been collaborating with Alice Cicolini to develop a collection of pearl rings and look forward to launching her new jewellery collection in the Spring later this year.

Elsewhere around the main show tent in the square and its side rooms, the atmosphere positively bustles with the ultra fashionable, the eccentric and often a particularly British sense of humour. Photographers gather at the entrance to snap at the crowd as the famous and fashionistas pause for the camera.

Most eye-catching perhaps are the shoes, with extreme heels and platforms being guided dangerously and skilfully across the paved square. In this world of fashion, you won’t fail to smile or be inspired by the use of colour and design.

Study any book on the history of fashion or jewellery and there is likely to be a bow design featured in its pages. This legendary motif is a symbol of love or marriage, and like the knot and the tassel, its origins are inspired by the most simple of fastenings.

From the late 17th century in the French royal court of Louis XIV, the bow motif in jewellery was perhaps first popularized. At a time when trade in gemstones was growing, and with new stone cutting techniques being developed, women enjoyed wearing sparkling bow jewels pinned or stitched to their attire.

How bow jewellery was worn also carried its own meaning  – a bow attached to a ribbon adorning a woman's neck is said to have suggested a playful side, whilst  a bow-shaped brooch worn close to the heart was a sign of being in love.

Bow brooches were known as Sévigné, named after the Marquise Marie de Sévigné, a French aristocrat who wrote numerous letters to her daughter depicting life at the 17th century Court.

An early description of the Sévigné brooch was by H. Clifford Smith in the early 20th century who wrote that "an important jewel worn at this time was a breast ornament, termed a Sévigné, after the celebrated lady of that name. This ornament took the form of a bow or rosette of open-work, of foliated design, generally of silver, set with small diamond splinters." (Source: Jewellery. G. P. Putnam’s Sons. New York. 1908).

The bow motif fell out of fashion with the French Revolution, but by the early 1900s appeared again as a favoured design motif of Edwardian ladies. Necklaces, earrings, pendants, rings and brooches in the shape of bows are very characteristic of the period.

With advances in the techniques to make platinum, bow jewellery designs also became delicate and elaborate like embroidery, and were often decorated with diamonds.

The bow is as popular today with its shape, symbolism, and classic influences in fashion. At Winterson, we are working on a new designer collection with Alice Cicolini that is inspired by the history of this celebrated motif.

There is no room for shy jewellery this season, with bold jewellery trends on the catwalk for oversized chokers, long sautoirs, large hoop earrings and broad cuffs.

This season's fashions and patterns are full of stripes, checks, and dots, decorated with gold sequins and shimmering metallics, with the size of jewellery also taking centre stage in the Spring/Summer 2013 (SS13) catwalk collections.

The sautoir is a long necklace that can be worn in a variety of different styles, draped in a single strand or comfortably looped twice or three times around the neckline.

Ralph Lauren's SS13 catwalk show, pictured above, featured sautoirs made of colorful beads layered over fashion designs inspired by Southern Europe. Nina Ricci added an extra touch with the abundant use of layered long golden chains of black beads, almost as if they were shiny Tahitian pearls, entangled together and worn over monochrome black and lace tops. In the Yves Saint Laurent collection, the sautoir brought 1970s rock-and-roll glamour with long metal necklaces decorated with tassles.

For Spring/Summer 2013, generous hoop earrings were also in style at Balmain, Diane van Furstenberg and Versace.

Almost every model on the Balmain catwalk wore large dangling silver hoops to match the black and white stripes and checks. At Diane van Furstenberg enormous gold-coated hoops, with an Art Deco angular symmetry, completed a bright orange and blue color. Versace used tribal hoops with sexy lace outfits and stripy trousers.

Amongst the bolder influences on the catwalk, the Chanel jewellery collection stood out from the others. Chokers and cuffs with oversized faux pearls complemented the architectural structure of the catwalk and this season's collection. Pearls were classic white or contemporary grey in colour and were layered unconventionally into seemingly disorganised, yet eye catching pieces.

Real cultured pearls may not be suitable for some of this season's over sized jewellery trends as pearls rarely reach the size of 2cm in diameter.

For a bold style, however, the long pearl sautoir remains our jewellery of choice for the summer. Worn long, layered or twisted and worn short like a choker or torsade necklace, the sautoir continues to reinvent itself.

Tim Walker: Story Teller is a new exhibition at Somerset House, London. What would fashion, a love for beautiful clothes and accessories be without the magic of photography?

Vogue has promoted fashion through its illustrations and photography since the foundation of the magazine in 1891. Amongst the most exciting fashion photographers today, Tim Walker has been working with the influential magazine for nearly 20 years.

For another two weeks until 27 January 2013, a selection of Tim Walker’s most exceptional photographs are being presented in a stunning exhibition at Somerset House, London.

Image 1: Karlie Kloss and broken Humpty Dumpty, Rye, East Sussex, 2010
Image 2: Olga Shearer on blue horse, Sennowe Park, Norfolk, 2007

Born in 1970 in England, Tim Walker started taking photographs as a teenager and at the age of 25 published his first fashion story for Vogue. The work of Tim Walker is in a way quintessentially British, with originality, eccentricity and humour.

The images are filled with wonder and fantasy as Tim Walker presents fashion in the context of magical sets, inspired by legendary fairy tales. The 175 photographs may be deceptively simple or elaborately staged using unusual props such as a monstrous giant doll or a life-size Spitfire crashing through a room. In every case, the photograph tells a story.

Image 1: Stella Tennant and pink powder cloud, Eglingham Hall, Northumberland, 2007
Image 2: Giant doll kicks Lindsey Wixson, Eglingham Hall, Northumberland, 2011

This romantic and extravagant style has attracted some of the biggest names in fashion. As well as working on the advertising campaigns of Mulberry, Hermès and Valentino, in recent years Tim Walker has succeeded in shooting some extraordinary images of Marion Cotillard, Kate Moss, Alexander McQueen and Helena Bonham Carter.

Despite this, Walker says the camera "is simply a box put between you and what you want to capture".

Image: Tilda Swinton and aviator goggles, Reykjavik, Iceland, 2011

The fabulous images exhibited at Somerset House include Xiao Wen & Lui Wen dressed as samurai nuns, Karlie Kloss shocked at a broken Humpty Dumpty, Olga Shearer on a dreamlike blue horse, Tilda Swinton in aviator googles and Malgosia Bela with five gravity-defying guardsmen.

If you are unable to visit the Tim Walker: Story Teller exhibition at Somerset House this month, a number of Tim Walker's photographs can also be viewed in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

Or take a journey and wander into the fantasy world of Tim Walker.

With a heritage of working with pearls for over 50 years, one of the most frequent questions that we are asked at Winterson is what are the best pearls to buy. In this article we look at the most popular types of pearls and some tips to consider.

The classic pearl

The most popular image of the pearl is the classic round white pearl, draped in long elegant flowing strands, worn as a pretty stud earring or as a symbolic piece of jewellery for a new bride.



Image: Classic Akoya Pearl Jewellery Set

These styles will always be fashionable and versatile, but there are many other wonderful colours, sizes and shapes of pearls to buy. Before making a decision, it can be worthwhile exploring a little more about this beautiful gem.

Types of pearls

There are four main types of cultured pearl, including Freshwater pearls and three types of saltwater pearl known as Akoya pearls, Tahitian pearls and South Sea pearls.

Their size can range from as little as 1.5mm in diameter to as much as 20mm in diameter, with round, drop, oval and asymmetric baroque shapes. Their natural colours can include creamy whites, pastel shades of pink, peach and apricot, cooler hues of silver, grey, blue, purple and black and the warm opulence of gold.

Image: Freshwater and Saltwater Pearl Shapes

Each pearl will also have been carefully cultured in a mussel or oyster for between 6 months and 3 years and their quality, uniqueness and rarity will increase their value. The difference in price between a small pearl with poor lustre and a perfectly round, excellent lustre pearl can be significant.

Is there a best pearl to buy?

There really is no straightforward answer as to 'what are the best pearls to buy' or 'what are the best pearls in the world'. If you are thinking of purchasing or wearing a piece of pearl jewellery, our advice would be to always consider the grading of the pearl, particularly its lustre, and how the design of the jewellery complements the pearl.

Pearl grading

Choose a piece of pearl jewellery that has been graded by an expert. There are several different grading systems used across the industry. We use the GIA Pearl Description System to describe the pearls in our jewellery, as this is one of the best known and reputable.

We also contract an independent organisation called Feefo to ask all our customers for their genuine feedback on each purchase from Winterson. This feedback is unedited by us and is published on our and Feefo's websites, acting as a marker of the quality you can expect from a Winterson pearl.

Do be careful when no information about a pearl is presented or when a pearl is described as being of AAAA quality.

The importance of lustre

Lustre is a grading factor that is used to describe how a pearl reflects light from its surface. This is one of a pearl's best qualities and is quite unlike any other gem. The best pearls to buy should have lustre that is sharp and mirror-like, catching the light and the eye.

Image 1: Freshwater Drop Pearl and Diamond Pendant in White Gold
Image 2: White Gold Diamond Leverback And Akoya Pearl Earrings

One of our favourite pearls is the classic Akoya pearl, which is admired for its stunning lustre, as shown above with our Leverback earrings.

Beautiful jewellery design

Our third recommendation would be to choose a design that shows off the best features of the pearl. For example, we love the way that our Luna Rose Tahitian Pearl and Sapphire Ring, pictured above, contrasts the round shape and unusual aubergine colour of the Tahitian pearl with the rectangular shape and candy colour of the pink sapphire gem.

Using colourful gemstones to draw out the pearl’s myriad overtones is one technique that we use at Winterson. You can read more about our design inspirations and how we work with colour here.

If you have any questions about the best pearls to buy, our jewellery or our website, our Customer Care team would be happy to help you. Or learn more about the different Types of Pearls in our Guide to Buying Pearls here.

Chanel is celebrating and revisiting its iconic little black jacket with a photographic collaboration between the fashion house’s head designer and creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, and former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, Carine Roitfeld.

Photographs taken by Karl Lagerfeld of 109 models and celebrities wearing the little black jacket are captured in a book and displayed in a touring exhibition, which is currently being hosted by the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, London until November 28, 2012.

Karl Lagerfeld explains “The Chanel jacket is a man’s jacket, which has become a typically feminine piece. It has crossed that boundary. It has become the symbol of a certain feminine elegance, nonchalant and timeless."

In the spacious exhibition rooms of the Saatchi Gallery, the portraits wonderfully show off the varied looks and styles of the little black jacket. Carine Roitfeld explains “It is an easy piece, you can do a lot with it. You can wear it with jeans, over an evening dress, you can see it on a ballet dancer. It suits everyone, it is an incredible piece. It is almost like a jean jacket, but very elegant.”

Certain photographs stand out, in particular a profile of Tilda Swinton, a shot of Anna Wintour with her iconic hair bob facing away from the camera, and Carine Roitfeld herself, wearing drapes of long pearl rope necklaces.

Under the creative drive of Karl Lagerfeld, the fashion house is still setting a trend. Earlier this month, Chanel displayed a spectacular Spring Summer 2013 fashion show in Paris at the Grand Palais. The stadium sized floor plan had photovoltaic-effect flooring and lines of majestic wind turbines rotating gently and synchronously as the models wandered the spectacular catwalk.

The Spring Summer 2013 collection beautifully captured the fashion house's founding attributes of simplicity, luxury and reserve. The collection included Chanel’s black and white colours, but was also lightened with unthreatening reds, blues and greens. The love of Chanel for pearl jewellery was reinvented into bold bundles of oversized faux pearls worn as choker necklaces and bracelets. Also in the collection, pearls of small or larger sizes were scattered across skirts and jackets in the form of patterns or more functionally presented as buttons.

Bringing together the arts, with fashion, jewellery design, and photography, the little black jacket exhibition is an alternative, but nonetheless inspiring look into Chanel's unique world.

Eternally feminine, the colour pink represents love, prettiness, cuteness and old-school glamour. Midway between the colour red and the purple hues of magenta, pink is the colour of cherry blossom, flamingoes and a girl's favourite things.

Pink is also one of the natural pastel colours of freshwater cultured pearls. With the unique iridescent properties of a pearl as it catches the light, the highest quality pink pearls will make truly beautiful and gorgeous pearl jewellery.

 

The reasons why a pearl is a particular colour is complex and not fully understood. The colour of a pearl generally corresponds to its type of mollusc and the colour of the inside of its shell. Water purity and environmental conditions may also have an influence. Trace elements such as iron and magnesium are thought to probably cause the pink body colour of a pearl.

 

The natural pink colour of freshwater pearls is soft, subtle, and certainly not loud. Some colour enhancements and organic dyes may be used to improve a pearl's appearance, but any colour treatment such as this should be fully disclosed to you. Check for pearls that have no variation in colour, dye that has collected in any pits or bumps on the pearl's surface, or which may be concentrated at the drill hole, and if in doubt ask your retailer.

 

Pink freshwater pearls are versatile gems that will flatter nearly any skin complexion with colour and shine, much as a line of soft coloured lipstick would. A beautiful pink pearl necklace will add a touch of colour to a little black dress or tone easily with an open neck purple or red top. Pink pearl stud earrings are delightful to be worn with casual weekend and evening wear.

 

Freshwater pearls are also formed in other pastel colours, usually called apricot, peach and lavender. A multi-coloured pearl necklace, combining the pastel rainbow of freshwater pearl colours, is also fabulous to wear.