Pretty Pearl Petal Pushers

Fresh flowers are in full bloom for fashion this summer, as fashion magazines and runways of 2011 looking more like garden parties than fashion shows. Bright orchid purples and azalea pinks and intense goldenrod are some of the hottest hues of summer, and floral print ensembles are a must for the season. Short and sassy whimsical mini dresses while ultra-feminine designs featuring head-to-toe roses are another look to fall in love with. Perfect with long layered strands of pearls and colored gemstone beads are the perfect accent.

Accessorizing floral motifs couldn’t be easier. Pearls in pinks and peaches are a perfect complement to the girly feel of feminine floral patterns, as the subtle peaches and lavenders look so flawless alongside flowery petal prints.  Add a brighter touch of amethyst or citrine beads with Black and gold South Sea pearls for a bold and lively pearl boost for your floral summer best.

The Month of the Pearl

As I am about to celebrate my birthday, I thought it might be a good idea to share  the fact that the Pearl is the official June birthstone. It is also known as the birthstone for the Star Signs of Gemini and Cancer and  was  adopted to be so by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912 to be the official birthstone of the month of  June.  Along with my birthday, also important prominent events in the month of June include weddings and hence the following wedding anniversaries.  Fresh water pearls are given on the 1st wedding anniversary, and any species of pearls are also to be given on the 3rd, 12th and 30th anniversaries

Cultured  pearls are considered to offer the power of love, money, protection, and luck. Pearls are thought to give wisdom through experience, to quicken the laws of karma and to cement engagements and love relationships. Ancient legend says that pearls were thought to be the tears of the gods and the Greeks believed that wearing pearls would promote marital bliss and prevent newlywed women from crying. Additionally, they are thought to keep children safe. The bottom line is, June birthdays and June brides go together with Pearls, just like peanut butter and jelly, hot dogs and apple pie and Batman and Robin.  Keep that in mind for all of those important June dates, and you will come out smelling like a rose!  ….They  go together like rama lama lama ke ding a de dinga a dong   remembered forever like shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yipitty boom de boom……

Pearls Are More Than Just A Fashion Statement

Rumor has it that wearing pearls is more than a just mere fashion statement these days.  Most women who wear pearls do so because of their strong fashion sense and the natural beauty of the pearls   It seems that there are even more reasons to wear pearls now, besides just good fashion sense.  Did you know that wearing a pearl strand necklace for a long period of time may help avoid faucitis, more commonly known as a sore throat as well as hyperthyroidism? Experts say that this is because long term exposure to pearls can make the human body system "cool down", so wearing a pearl strand may also ease one’s temper during menopause. In addition, because of the smooth nature of nacre and the elements contained in pearls, the area on your neck where it is exposed to your pearl necklace, may become very smooth and soft.

In fact, people started to use pearls for medical and cosmetic use as early as 2000 years ago. Pearls contain plenty of chemicals including calcium, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, magnesium, manganese, aluminum, iron, tungsten, zinc, lead, silver, gold, lithium, iodine, zirconium, selenium, etc.   Hence, by wearing pearls regularly, it can allow these effective elements to filter through human pores, be absorbed by deep tissue, and result in cosmetic improvements.  This process may help enhance one’s metabolism, and as a result your skin will become smooth, and it may slow down the aging process.   Sound like a good enough reason to wear pearls to me!

Spring Is In the Air

As more of a  traditional summer favorite, bright whites are here this spring as a pristine counterpoint to the tropical hues and smoldering metallics many designers debuted in their new spring collections. We will see flowing white dresses and crisp white precision tailored suits, tea-length daytime wear and tight white light-up-the-night numbers. While fashion creations this year range from daydreamy to chic and sophisticated, the all-whitelook lends pearl lovers a cool, clean canvas to make their own. This is good news for our pearl jewelry loving friends, who on the streets this spring can expect to see crisp white shirts and white jeans making a comeback alongside pretty-fun colorful pearl  necklaces. This resounding white backdrop means it’s anyone’s game on the pearl jewelry front. Pearls necklaces, pearl bracelets and pearl earrings in an assortment of bright colors as well as the traditional spring pastel standards and and of course white!. Tahitian pearl rings most definitely will snag the a spotlight on one stage, while bold gold and brightly hued semi-precious stones and pearl necklaces heat up another. From an emotional standpoint, white just feels right. It’s clean and optimistic—refreshingly rich but not too decadent, wholesome and pure —almost as if  the world is starting to lighten up!.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue......

So I wake up at 3:00 in the morning to catch my first sight of the Princess Bride and I can hardly contain myself!  No one else in my house has shared my enthusiasm for the event, so I was on my own!  I was just staring to nod off during the opening pomp and circumstance when I was jolted back to reality with the arrival of Kate and her father at Westminster Abbey.  With minimal fanfare, they got out of the beautiful Rolls Royce, her sister helped her with her train, and they headed for the church.

In line with an old Royal tradition Kate Middleton headed down the aisle  with a sprig of the herb myrtle in her bridal bouquet to symbolize lasting love and fertility just like Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria; before her.  She was a raving beauty in her beautiful new wedding gown that was simply exuberating class as she approached her groom, wearing an understated diamond tiara borrowed from Queen herself; who received the tiara as a gift from her mother on her 18^th birthday.  Also in line with Royal tradition, Kate’s gorgeous blue sapphire engagement ring was paired with a royal wedding band made with gold from a mine in Wales, a tradition that began relatively recently with the Queen Mother's wedding in 1923.

It goes without saying while her gown and veil were nothing short of gorgeous,   I would have been overjoyed to see her wearing some of Diana’s pearls.  However, I am not disappointed.  In fact I understand perfectly.  Princess Catherine aka Kate Middleton, has the rest of her life to pay homage to her late mother–in–law, and wear her prized gems whenever she wants to.  All of a sudden, it makes perfect sense to me and I am quite excited for her. Today was her wedding day, the very first day of the rest of her life.  No reason to start it out in the shadow of the former princess who was also so loved by Prince William,  the United Kingdom as well as people from all over the world.  But you can be assured, I will be watching out for sightings of “The Princess and Her Pearls”, as she forges ahead in her new life.  I am certain there will be many of these sightings, because as all pearl lovers know, “the pearl is the queen of gems and the gem of queens”.  Best Wishes to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The Princess and the Pearl

It is just one week away from the royal wedding and the fashion speculations of what the future Princess Kate will be wearing are in full force! Who is the lucky designer that will make the dress? What will her hair look like; up or down?   But if you ask me, the most important questions is “What or more specifically whose tiara and jewelry will she be wearing?”

If I were her royal stylist, or even the princess herself in my own little fantasy world, I know what my choice would be.  Not only as a tribute to Williams beautiful mother, Diana, but more importantly because they are absolutely stunning, I would opt to wear Diana’s pearl crown, her pearl  choker and her stunning South Sea pearl and diamond earrings.  Just like Princess Diana of Wales, Kate Middleton is the perfect example of a modern-day woman. She is the picture of elegance with an ever present touch of class.  Kate always dresses with style and presents herself with a certain level of class and dignity.  All of these traits just scream “PEARLS” to me. Like Diana,  Kate seems to have old-fashioned values and grace but is confidently still living in the 21^st century.  I would say that William is a lucky man, as Kate will make a wonderful princess.  I am just as certain wearing the pearls belonging to William’s mother would be a welcomed gesture and I think Kate should honor Diana while she sets out to create her own amazing legacy.

I am so excited!  I just can’t wait!

Farewell to a Legendary Pearl Lover

Elizabeth Taylor, the legendary actress famed for her beauty, her jet-set lifestyle, her charitable endeavors and her many marriages died on March 23, at Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. She was 79 years old.  She will be mourned, not only by her fans from her successful career in motion pictures, but from jewelry lovers around the world; primarily the ones who favor pearls.

In 1969, Richard Burton spent $37,000, narrowly outbidding Prince Alfonso de Bourbon Asturias, to gift his wife,  Elizabeth Taylor with La Peregrina, a stunning pear shaped pearl, for her thirty-seventh birthday. “  Included in the purchase of La Peregrina was the pearl’s interesting history, which is as fascinating as the pearl is rare and beautiful. A slave was set free after finding the pearl in the Gulf of Panama and bringing it to the Spanish court. It was later given to Mary Tudor of England upon her engagement to Spain’s Phillip II in 1554. Later, Queens Margarita and Isabel owned the pearl. Both were immortalized, wearing the pearl, in separate portraits by a famous  sixteenth century painter.  And finally, in the early part of the 1800’s, the famous Bonaparte family owned the pearl.

Elizabeth got her ideas of how she wanted the pearl necklace set from a painting of Mary, Queen of Scots, who was wearing it as a choker. The pearl’s former setting can be seen in publicity shots for Elizabeth’s cameo in the 1969 film, Anne of the Thousand Days, and the new, more elaborate setting in the films Divorce His—Divorce Hers and A Little Night Music.
 

Burton and Taylor had considered writing a book on the fascinating history of the pearl and its owners, but unfortunately they never did. They also considered purchasing a four-hundred year old painting with the pearl adorning Queen Mary—but nothing could match the brilliance and elegance of this amazing gem more than Elizabeth herself.