Lets talk about PEARLS

Having a solid reputation as a classic, the pearl can often be viewed as old or stuffy. My personal journey with pearls has been an interesting one. I loathed them when I first started out with jewellery. I found that they reminded me of an elderly woman's style. No disrespect, but at 20 odd years that was definitely not the look I wanted to go for. I thought I was far too cool for that. 

How wrong was I?! Pearls are such a wonderful material to work with and the jewellery you can create with them range from, yes, the more classic looks, to edgy and avant-garde designs. 

One of my absolute favourites is a baroque pearl. It’s irregularity is something that I find particularly appealing. Overly symmetrical designs have never been something that I strive for preferring instead to opt for natural lines and shapes. The wonkier the better!

The JOJO earrings are an example of how such a naturally stunning material can create an elegant but contemporary piece of jewellery. These white baroque pearls remind me of comets. Suspended on simple hoops, they can effortlessly elevate your look. 

I am also partial to a dark pearl. Even a simple strand of pearls, so long as they are dark, suddenly has an edginess to it that I love. The ALLEGRA necklace is a perfect example of that. The pearls aren’t perfectly round, and the lush dark grey colour gives them a little more wow factor. This necklace would look just as fab worn with a crisp white open collared shirt as it would with leather. The great thing about this necklace is you can wear it as is or add a pendant or some charms to the clasp and suddenly it's a totally different necklace. Variety is, after all, apparently the spice of life, right?

Pearls are the only gemstone to come from a living creature, whilst all other gemstones are created within the earths crust. Now that in itself, makes these beauties special in my opinion. They don’t deserve to be labelled ‘old fashioned’ at all. It really comes down to how you wear them and what you wear them with. What are your favourites?