The pearl that went round the world
Last fall, our friend, J. wished to give pearls to his wife, B., at Christmas, and asked me for a little help. He has a great eye, and was completely attuned to what would suit her, but needed pointers toward good sources. My kind of fun!
B. is a multi-disciplinary artist who wears a beautiful collection of family heirlooms, vintage treasures, and Mexican silver found on their travels. I had never seen her in pearls. J. headed briskly into the territory of colour, from greys to lavenders, and made astute evaluations; all I had to do was supply links and offer a few comments about quality.
And I also suggested that instead of a strand, J. might consider a piece of jewellery that uses one or a few stunning pearls.
I showed him the work of London Jeweller Malcolm Morris, who made the ethereal tiaras for the film "Shakespeare in Love" and the miniseries "The 10th Kingdom".
J. admired Morris' assured aesthetic and thought his designs reflected B.'s style. J. chose the Nyx pendant necklace, and I too saw it as "her".
A version on the web site with prehenite and sterling silver:
J. commissioned the necklace in oxidized silver, labradorite and pearl. Mr. Morris uses pretty freshwaters, but J. wanted something special. We chose a fine 13mm x18mm silver-green Tahitian drop with aqua overtones from Ehret Design Gallery and off it flew, from Arizona to London. Malcolm Morris thought it beautiful, and went to work.
There is a leap of faith in any commission, especially when you have never seen an artist's work in person—but we had trust, and Mr. Morris was in touch often.
When I received the box (so she wouldn't suspect), I peeked to check, but did not lift the necklace from its velvet box; the first touch would be hers. But I glimpsed the detailed silversmithing, the flashing labradorites, the glowing pearl.
Some days later, I was able to admire it on B., and it was everything her beloved anticipated, framed by her beauty and personality.
B. is a multi-disciplinary artist who wears a beautiful collection of family heirlooms, vintage treasures, and Mexican silver found on their travels. I had never seen her in pearls. J. headed briskly into the territory of colour, from greys to lavenders, and made astute evaluations; all I had to do was supply links and offer a few comments about quality.
And I also suggested that instead of a strand, J. might consider a piece of jewellery that uses one or a few stunning pearls.
I showed him the work of London Jeweller Malcolm Morris, who made the ethereal tiaras for the film "Shakespeare in Love" and the miniseries "The 10th Kingdom".
 |
| Photo: Malcolm Morris.com |
J. admired Morris' assured aesthetic and thought his designs reflected B.'s style. J. chose the Nyx pendant necklace, and I too saw it as "her".
A version on the web site with prehenite and sterling silver:
 |
| Photo: MalcolmMorris.com |
There is a leap of faith in any commission, especially when you have never seen an artist's work in person—but we had trust, and Mr. Morris was in touch often.
When I received the box (so she wouldn't suspect), I peeked to check, but did not lift the necklace from its velvet box; the first touch would be hers. But I glimpsed the detailed silversmithing, the flashing labradorites, the glowing pearl.
Some days later, I was able to admire it on B., and it was everything her beloved anticipated, framed by her beauty and personality.
A special thank you to the wonderful Malcolm Morris, whose work keeps calling me back. You can see more of his designs on his Instagram feed, where he is the gingerjeweller.
Comments
with your pearl wisdom we may come to think of you as the pearl whisperer!