Fashion

With their shining, lustrous surface and pretty shapes, pearls have inspired ancient myths of gods, angels and mermaids and been revered as fallen teardrops. Loved today by women, royalty, brides and fashion icons, the beautiful styling of pearl drop earrings may echo these enchanting images.

THE PEARL

As the central element, pearls are a foremost consideration in any design of pearl drop earrings. Round, near-round, oval or drop shaped pearls are favoured by designers as their symmetrical shapes allow the jewellery to be admired from every angle. We would recommend selecting exceptional pearls with a high lustre and clean surface, as well as larger sizes of between 8 and 12 millimetres in diameter.

All types of pearls are suitable for pearl drop earrings and the design choice depends on the direction of the styling and budget. Freshwater pearls can be beautiful and offer excellent value, Akoya pearls are perfect for their high lustre and pink overtones, Tahitian pearls for their contemporary, cooler hues and South Sea pearls for their luxurious silvery white and golden colours. Whichever the pearl type, both the pearls used in pearl drops should be matched carefully for comparable grading.

THE DESIGN

The classic design of a pearl drop earring is that of a pearl attached to a stud or a hook, composed of silver or gold. The pearl may sit just below the stud or hook, or may hang below between two to four centimetres in length. Longer pearl drops today are fashionable, easy to wear and very popular.

The attachment of the pearl to the drop may be rigid or supple with a chain that creates a pleasing movement in the form of the jewellery. Designs may also include multiple pearls on each earring, amplifying the elegance of the movement.

Amongst our contemporary designs, Sophie Breitmeyer has created a collection of Akoya pearl drop earrings with sparkling and colourful gems of blue sapphires, green tsavorite garnets and pink rubies.

THE OCCASION

Pearl drop earrings are very versatile, suiting women of all complexions and hair styling. Completed with sparkling diamonds or gemstones, pearl drop earrings are a perfect choice of fine jewellery for smart evening wear.

London Fashion Week 2012 (LFW) just closed its doors after five days of exciting and creative activity, with new fashion collections being presented to buyers for the Spring / Summer 2013 season. For the second time, the Rock Vault at LFW also showcased some of Britain’s most innovative, fine jewellery talent. This week, it was located in the West Wing of Somerset House, at the heart of London Fashion Week, between the 14th to the 18th of September.

Exclusively for the event, a dozen leading jewellers were invited to design a unique ring using the precious metal palladium with the support of the International Palladium Board. The selected designers were Alexandra Jefford, Fernando Jorge, Hannah Martin, Hillier, Husam El Odeh, Imogen Belfield, Jo Hayes Ward, Jordan Askill, Melanie Georgacopoulos, Sophie Bille Brahe, Tomasz Donocik and Yunus & Eliza. The palladium rings were displayed in the entrance of the Rock Vault to welcome, and even entice, some of the 5,000 visitors of London Fashion Week into the vault.

Our personal favourite was Fernando Jorge's beautiful butterfly inspired ring and earrings, displaying a traditional British mineral gemstone called Blue John.

Amongst the main collections, Fernando Jorge also exhibited his new 2012 collection Green Series as well as some of his latest designs. Brazilian-born Fernando uses gemstones and craftsmanship native to Brazil and the Green Series sees his signature style evolving with its fluid lines and elegantly cut gems. His pieces are available in limited editions as each gemstone is unique and the collection effortlessly conveys a sense of beauty, sensuality and opulence.

On the catwalk this year at LFW, the main fashion brands brands introduced their new SS 2013 collections with jewellery that ranged from the bold and colourful, to the more classic. Vivienne Westwood complemented her trademark edgy British fashion style with pearl necklaces on the catwalk, worn in single, double and elaborate multiple strands, sometimes with the hint of an occasional pearl drop earring.

Pearl stud earrings are perhaps the simplest, and yet prettiest, of all earrings and should be an essential item of any jewellery box. At quick glance, pearl earring studs may appear all the same. Before looking at our new collection of pearl stud earrings, here is our short guide to choosing and buying the perfect pearl studs.

THE LUSTRE OF A PEARL

The magic of a pearl lies hidden within its surface, where layers of a mother-of-pearl material called nacre gives this unique gem its characteristic shine or lustre. The stronger the lustre of a pearl, the more beautiful it will be. Above all else, choose a pearl stud earring that has excellent lustre.

THE SIZE OF THE PEARL

Pearls vary in size considerably and this does alter the style of the earring itself. The size of a round pearl is measured in millimetres across its diameter. Smaller pearls up to 8mm in diameter are easily worn every day and tend to be favoured by women with more petite features. Earring studs with pearls over 8mm in diameter can be ideal for evening wear and for special occasions.

If in doubt, we recommend choosing pearl earring studs around 7.5-9 mm in diameter, which are most likely to suit all styles and are sufficiently versatile to be able to dress up or down with.

PEARL SHAPE AND SURFACE

A pearl earring should have a clean surface, with very few visible marks, unless the pearl is asymmetrical or baroque shaped. The majority of pearls used for stud earrings are round or button shaped. Button shaped Freshwater pearls can give an attractive twist to the classic pearl earring stud as they can also easily be worn in larger sizes.

With our jewellery, we love the lustre, quality and round shape of the Akoya pearl as a perfect choice for pearl stud earrings. If you would like to learn more, read about Choosing and Wearing Pearl Earrings and Choosing Pearl Earring Backs in our Journal.

 

Discover our new collection of stud earrings for women here.

Looking ahead to what we will be seeing this later this year, pearls feature prominently in a number of the new Autumn fashion collections for Autumn-Winter 2012-13 (AW 2012).

Playing with the usual perception of pearls as purely classic gems, a number of this Autumn's collections came with a jewellery twist, most notably from leading New York-based designers Oscar de la Renta and Tory Burch. Rather than elegantly adorning the necklines and arms of the models on the catwalk, their designs were decorated and embellished with faux pearls and other gems.

Tory Burch revealed her AW 2012 ready-to-wear collection during February's New York Fashion Week. Evocative of a well-to-do girl who is “under the spell of the wrong kind of guy”, the collection is classical but a naughty sense of fun.

The designs are tailored and feminine with warming winter colours of beige, burgundy, blue and gold. The autumn fashion textures are beautifully varied with wool, tweed, lace, organza and leather. Pearls are prettily sewn onto the sleeves of a beige sweater or to outline the seams of a two piece jacket. Collars of wool and mesh are decorated with grosgrain ribbon and clusters of pearls.

Oscar de la Renta also approaches jewellery in a more unconventional manner. The new collection is lavished with ornamental jewels dangling from belts, buttons, ties, and shoes, and even being printed on fabric.

There is an abundance of pearls throughout, with round spherical pearls, dropped shaped pearls and mabe pearls featured on chandelier earrings, hairpins and brooches. These match beautifully with the colours of the collection, which are black, dark navy blues, pale pinks and light blues. The overall style is luxurious, even opulent.

The appeal of reworking the typical image of the pearl into these modern ready-to-wear collections is immediately successful and fits with some of the key autumn fashion trends.

With our own new jewellery collections underway, we can't wait to show you these designs later in the year.

Tennis at Wimbledon has certainly changed since the game was played a century ago. Just look at this image of two gentlemen players from 1910. What a difference a new roof has made to the play and atmosphere of the 2012 championship.

It was lovely to see also that pearl sets were still very much in fashion in the Centre Court stands. Around the same time as when this image of a very different Wimbledon was taken, new techniques for culturing pearls were being developed in Japan. Today the beauty of these classic gems has become more affordable, with their colours and shapes being loved by contemporary jewellery designers.

Having been asked by a number of our customers for matching pieces of pearl jewellery, we have launched our first collections of Pearl Sets at Winterson and we will be adding more over the coming weeks.

Matching pearls together takes patience, experience and access to a large number of pearls to ensure that the quality, size and colour of each set is appropriate. Even a colour described as white can have cooler silvery or warmer cream hues that should be considered so as to be able to match pearls well. Matching is one of the value factors that we use to grade pearls and can be found as part of the detailed description of each piece of pearl jewellery at Winterson.

Most pearl sets combine a necklace or pendant with a pair of earrings, and perhaps a bracelet. Our Pearl Sets combine some of our best loved pieces of pearl jewellery and have a combination to suit almost every occasion! If you do need any help or advice, please do not hesitate to contact one of our team.

New pearls please...

Onyx is a variety of the chalcedony gemstone, which is a species of microcrystalline quartz that also includes different coloured Agates and Jasper.  Found in bands that run parallel to each other, and mined mostly in the USA, Brazil, Madagascar, Uruguay and India, the colour of the chalcedony bands can range widely from reds, greens and blues to shades of white and grey. The red brown variety of onyx is known as sardonyx.

The onyx stone is slightly translucid, which perhaps inspired the Ancient Greeks to give it its name. Legend tells that Cupid cut the fingernails of Venus whilst she was sleeping and the discarded clippings were turned into stone by the gods. It is a relatively hard and durable stone, has a silky lustre and has been used and carved for centuries for setting in jewellery.

Black onyx itself is a deep rich black but, from ancient times and still today, this is mostly achieved through enhancement with heat and other colour treatments to achieve its stunning uniform dark colour.

Onyx jewellery can be very affordable and desirable, with an ability to match most colours or to highlight a sparkling white diamond and other brightly coloured gemstones such as a pink ruby. Black onyx can also work well with both yellow and white gold and is a favoured choice for elegant evening wear.

We love the contrast of how a lustrous white pearl can be flattered by the deep darkness of black onyx. The ‘black and white’ style created by the effect of combining onyx, pearls and diamonds has been widely used for jewellery design since the Art Deco 1920s and 1930s. Cartier, in particular, has worked with onyx since the 1910s and continues to choose this gem for its outstanding designs.

Onyx is a traditional gemstone for celebrating a 7th wedding anniversary.

The 1920s were prosperous years between two world wars that saw a wave of social, cultural and technology developments. Art Deco styling led the design world with clean geometrical lines and contrasting colours of black, white and gold, inspired by the Ancient Egyptians and the Aztecs. In New York, the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building are still two of the most emblematic buildings of their time. Technology breakthroughs such as radio, cinema ‘talkies’ and the automobile brought a new and popular sense of freedom.

In the fashion world, young women cast aside decades of Victorian fashion and restraining corsets to express their independent and modern aspirations. Detail that was influenced by Art Deco, with zigzags and geometrical shapes, was also however about comfort. Knee-length skirts, drop waist dresses, low necklines with exposed arms and wrists by iconic designers such as Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli were characteristic of the time. Feathers, tassels and silk added a fluid and deliberately flirtatious appearance.

Cultured pearls were the gem of the decade. Long white pearl necklaces were wrapped and often layered around the neck, enhancing the low necklines. These chic pearl sautoirs would swing with movement and dancing. Earrings and drop earrings sat visibly below bobbed haircuts and pearl bracelets decorated bare arms and wrists.

Nearly a century on, the iconic Roaring Twenties that was depicted by F. Scott Fitgerald in The Great Gatsby is still inspiring designers today. In sharp contrast to today's mood of austerity, the Spring/Summer 2012 collections of Ralph Lauren and Gucci reference this seductive era of glamour with fluid lines, slim silhouettes, cloche hats, silk, feathers, drop earrings and of course swinging long white pearl rope necklaces.

With a Gatsby film adaptation also due later this year, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s the 1920s again. There may not be the same rebellious energy of the flapper driving automobiles, listening to American jazz and attending glamorous parties but we love its look and confidence.

Fashion lovers at London Fashion Week 2012 were treated this week to the Rock Vault, a celebration of some of the most inventive and eclectic jewellery design that Britain has to offer.

LFW is the vibrant setting for the launch of the new Autumn/Winter 2012 fashion collections. Somerset House was buzzing with around 5,000 visitors attending 100 shows from established and emerging designers. Alongside London debuts by Stella McCartney and McQ by Alexander McQueen, with an extravagant catwalk floor carpeted with fallen leaves, were bold colours and patterns, classic elegance and warm seasonal colours.

Rock Vault is a new initiative that has been set up to help promote the best of Britain’s fine jewellery design. Ten jewellers, selected by the British Fashion Council, curator Stephen Webster and the International Palladium Board, were offered an enviable chance to showcase their A/W 2012 jewellery collections.

The selected designers were Alexandra Jefford, Fernando Jorge, Hannah Martin, Hillier, Husam El Odeh, Jo Hayes Ward, Jordan Askill, Melanie Georgacopoulos, Sophie Bille Brahe and Tomasz Donocik. Also featured in the exhibition tent that overlooked the Thames were five bold jewellery design concepts cast in the precious metal Palladium by students from Central Saint Martins, London.

As the main events of LFW were winding down, we visited the Vault to discover its installations. It was inspiring to see the new developments in Fernando Jorge’s Fluid Diamonds collection and we love these supple pieces shown in combination with some unusual gemstones such as the apple-green Brazilian Chrysoprase.

There were also some striking jewellery designs with pearls by Melanie Georgacopoulos, playfully enclosing pearls in 18ct gold diamond and emerald cages, and Alexandra Jefford, whose modern pieces are inspired by architecture, nature and some fabulously metallic freshwater pearls.

A brilliant setting to showcase the jewellery talent in London, the Vault undoubtedly rocked this year.

The fascinating Venus of Hohle Fels is perhaps the oldest sculpture of a human figure found today. It is a six-centimeter tall figurine of a voluptuous woman, dating back to about 35,000 years ago. Carved from mammoth ivory with a delicately carved ring in place of a head, it may also be the oldest known pendant found in Europe.

Whilst experts continue to decipher the meaning of the Venus of Hohle Fels, there is no doubt that pendants have become one of the most loved forms of jewellery. Pendants are worn today by both women and men as symbols of identity, religion, love or an elegant fashion accessory.

Among the wide choice of classic and contemporary pendant designs, real pearl pendants are highly versatile and can be worn on almost any occasion, from everyday wear to a wedding day. To help you choose an perfect pearl pendant for yourself or someone you love, here is a short guide.

THE PEARL

The pearl is typically the central focus of a pearl pendant and for this reason the highest quality grading of pearls are often selected for luxury pearl pendants. These pearls should have a strong lustre, a thick nacre, a clean surface and beautiful natural colours.

PEARL SHAPE

The most popular shapes of pearls that are used in pendants are round, tear drop or button shaped pearls. All of these shapes will lie elegantly around the neck and have a pleasing symmetry.

SIZE

The size of the pearl in a pearl pendant will impact the price of the pendant, particularly as larger Tahitian and South Sea pearls become more expensive. In a classic single pearl pendant design, the more popular pearl sizes are between 8-11mm in diameter.

GEMSTONES

Pearls are a beautiful match with diamonds, that might be set as a solitaire just above the pearl. For a more contemporary twist, pearls can also be matched with colourful gemstones such as sparkling blue sapphires or eye catching garnets.

THE CHAIN

Pearl pendants can also be hung from a necklace, called an enhancer, but today are more often worn from a simple silver or gold chain. The weight and finish of the chain should hold the pendant safely and be beautiful without distracting from the pearl and its setting. The standard length of a pearl pendant chain is typically 42 cm or 45 cm, which would be similar to a long choker or princess length necklace. For a luxury pearl pendant, 18 carat gold or platinum is a preferable choice.

At Winterson, our most popular pearl pendants are the single pearl pendant, perhaps with a lustrous white freshwater pearl and a sparkling solitaire diamond. More exotic Tahitian pearl pendants, with their shimmering grey, silver and black colours, or with a designer twist, Sophie Breitmeyer's colourful designer pendants with Akoya pearls are strong favourites too.

One of the classic gemstone combinations for jewellery designers is the contrast between the striking sparkle of diamonds and the soft, silky lustre of a pearl. How and when did our love of this beautiful pairing come about?

La Belle Époque from the late 19th century to the start of World War I was an era of opulence. It was a prosperous period that created wealth and the newly rich were keen to display their social status, enjoying a wave of sumptuous fashion and luxury jewellery.

The Edwardian trend was for slimming and elegant silhouettes with high collars that extended the neckline, corsets that showed off S-curved bodylines and tall hats with extravagant feathers. In response jewellers created delicate garland-style jewellery that appeared as if it were embroidery, with characteristic motifs of swags, ribbons, bows and flowers.

Before the late 19th century, European jewellers had looked to India and Brazil for their source of diamonds. Following the discovery of large diamond deposits in South Africa, however, and the set up and purchase of small mining operations by the company De Beers, the availability of diamonds changed forever. Platinum and diamonds began to be used widely by La Belle Époque jewellery designers to create intricate and gorgeous diamond necklaces with sparkling collars.

The grandeur of La Belle Époque ended abruptly with the dark reality of World War I.

Diamonds resisted the sombre times by reinventing themselves with new designs and sharing the fashion spotlight with other gems such as cultured pearls, which were new and taking the European jewellery markets by storm. Royal and society ladies matched diamond bandeaux and tiaras with long pearl necklaces. Coco Chanel created the Little Black Dress in the 1920s that she accessorised with a string of pearls. The simplicity of that dress with the elegance and beauty of pearls appealed to middle class and high society women alike throughout the 1930s and still resonates today.

With our lasting love of diamonds, De Beers famously grew to become the world’s largest producer of diamonds and coined the memorable slogan “diamonds are forever”. A diamond today is the traditional choice of engagement gift, a celebration present for a 10th or 60th wedding anniversary and is the birthstone for April.

View our jewellery collection of Diamonds and Pearls here.