Working with Baroque Pearls
One of the emerging jewelry trends this year is the use of baroque pearls to create contemporary jewels with an edge.
These irregularly shaped pearls were largely used for fashion jewelry during the past 20 years or so primarily because of the increase of cultured fresh and salt water pearls making them extremely affordable.
However, during the past decade fine jewelry designers and artists have been finding new uses for these pearls, which are available in a near endless palette of shapes and colors. In their natural state many white or light-colored baroque pearls exhibit a subtle and constantly changing of rainbow-like colors, similar to an opal.
Jewelry artists are keeping them in their natural shapes or carving them further to their own liking and pairing them with organic materials. High jewelry designers are pairing them with precious gems, and precious metals and gems.
Hisano Shepherd, founder of Little h, is taking soufflé pearls (irregularly shaped pearls with hollow centers), cutting them in half and filling them with micro pearls and tiny diamonds, rubies sapphires and other precious gems. Appropriately named the “Pearl Geode Collection,” she has created a grouping of earrings, pendant necklaces and rings with many styles, shapes and color combinations.
Freshwater soufflé pearl sliced and lined with seed pearls and reclaimed rubies set in 14k rose gold by the jewelry design firm, Little h
Yvel, takes a particular kind of baroque pearl, the keshi (non-nucleated pearls typically formed as by-products of pearl cultivation), and uses it to create a niche artistic, high jewelry brand, matching them with precious metals, diamonds and other gems.
Keshi pearls in a necklace and matching earrings paired with gold and pave diamonds by Yvel.
Mizuki can take one or two baroque pearls and pair it with strands of gold for fashionable, elegant jewels that can be worn throughout the day.
This bracelet by pearl jewelry brand, Mizuki, uses two simple baroque pearls capped with 18k yellow gold attached by an 18k yellow gold thread.
The company, Michou, inspired by Balinese jewels and jewelry-making techniques, also takes an artistic approach with these pearls. One of its best example is its Spring Frost collection, featuring granulated silver layered with blue topaz, African amethyst and iolite all set within tendrils of gold vermeil wire that appears like vines. Baroque fresh water pearls can be hidden within the rest of the structure or appear like drops with other colored gems. Either way the work has a frosty appearance.
Granulated cuff by Michou with one baroque pearl serving as a centerpiece but almost hidden within a granulated sterling silver cuff layered with blue topaz, African amethyst, and iolite woven in tendrils of gold vermeil wire that looks like vines.
Yoko London, which creates pearl jewelry ranging from fashion forward pieces and classic pearls to high jewelry creations, deals primarily in traditional round pearls. However, the company has no problem using baroque pearls paired with precious metals and other gems.
The Capri ring by Yoko London uses 18k rose gold sprinkled with paved diamonds and topped with a colorful natural baroque freshwater pearl.
These are the types of well-thought-out designs that appeal to women who buy their own jewels and have a strong sense of their personal style. Many of these jewels should also appeal to Millennials, who are looking for non-traditional ways to express their fashion sense.
