Exhibition open until 19th January
2014 at V&A.
 |
| The C&A Pearls Exhibition |
I would highly recommend a visit
to the latest remarkable exhibition of ‘Pearls’ at the Victoria and Albert Museum. On display is an enormous collection
of multi coloured natural pearls including the pink conch pearl; brown, black,
blue green abalone pearl and the orange Melo pearl. Any mollusk with a shell
can produce a pearl.
Natural oyster pearls have been
fished in the Arabian Gulf from the earliest times until the 1950s using the
same methods of diving to a depth of 22 metres. It takes 2000 oysters to
produce a suitable pearl for use in a piece of quality jewellery. As you look at
the magnificent five row natural Gulf pearl necklace made by Cartier from the
1930s, you can appreciate the time taken to collect the pearls which need to be
matched according to scale and lustre.
 |
| Grand Jete, gold with diamonds and two cultured baroque pearl |
Pearl trading in the Gulf, from
Saudi Arabia to Dubai, Bahrain to Qatar, started as early as the 7th
Century where Arab merchants crossed the Indian Ocean to India. Chinese
merchants also travelled to India to find highly prized natural pearls from the
Gulf. By the early 19th Century the Arabian Gulf was the major global supplier
of natural pearls. At their height, the great jewellery houses of Europe sought
the best quality ‘oriental’ pearls
between 1850 and 1930. Today the natural pearl has become a prized rarity.
 |
| Gold hair ornament, Roman, 3rd Century AD |
From Roman times to Medieval
Europe pearls symbolized wealth and status. Gorgeous Renaissance jewellery examples
abound, set with multi coloured gemstones such as garnets and rubies alongside pearls and
richly enamelled gold pendants. There are beautiful examples of late Victorian diamond and
pearl brooches and Art Nouveau jewellery, some by Lalique and Vever, showing
designs of plants and insects, in gold, enamel and horn sculpted into natural
forms. There is also a pearl sautoir necklace worn to the waist amid the 1920s
fashionable flapper dresses. There are incredible examples of seed pearls
beautifully sewn into jackets and dresses, even one worn by Her Majesty the
Queen!
 |
| Rosebery pearl and diamond tiara dated 1878 |
The highlight of the exhibition
for me personally was the wonderful collection of pearl and
diamond tiaras. In particular, the
Rosebery pearl and diamond tiara dated 1878 with natural
bouton and drop shaped pearls, set
in silver and gold surrounded by old cut diamonds. There is even jewellery from
the Hollywood stars: a pearl necklace worn by Marilyn Monroe and a pearl and
diamond ring that once belonged to Elizabeth Taylor!
Kokichi Mikimoto (1858-1954) in
Japan developed a patent for making round cultured pearls from Akoya oysters at
the turn of the century which heralded the start of industrial production and
in the 1950s cultured pearls were at their fashionable peak. There are South
Sea cultured pearl necklaces in many colours, the finest produced by Pinctada
Maxima oysters farmed in Burma, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and
Australia. There is a stunning necklace by Yoko, London incorporating these
multi coloured cultured pearls from the South seas set in 18 carat white gold
with diamonds. This is a beautiful and unusual collection which is open daily
and well worth a visit!
Written by FOCUS member Gemma
Darlington FGA, Jewellery specialist and gemologist of Gem’s Fine Jewels www.gemsfinejewels.co.uk
For more information about FOCUS visit: www.focus-info.org
Pearls jewellery London which is seen with the most idolized celebrities of his era are obtainable on Pearls jewellery London's website. This pearl retailing company offers various styles select an ideal in search of earrings, or necklaces. The necklaces are classified as the Angelina Princess styles, the double strand while the treble strand pearl necklaces.
ReplyDelete