Pearls: Carolyn's birthday pendant
Carolyn had a milestone birthday recently, and decided to mark it with special gift: an abalone pearl pendant.
The abalone mollusk, native to California and Mexico, produces two popular products: delicious flesh, and iridescent, thick shells used for jewellery — but very few produce pearls. Those pearls are wild, not cultured.
The natural colours are a swirl of blue and green, lit with flashing rose, lavender, purple and gold.
The photo at left (from Kojima Pearl Company's Instagram feed) shows the phenomenal colour that nature can create.
In the photo at left, the top shows an abalone pearl's characteristic 'sharks tooth' shape. The bottom pearl at left is actually four that developed in the mollusk over years.
The effect is as if a mermaid at the bottom of the sea sang to the skies, and the blazing pearl appeared.
Carolyn met Kojima Company's Sarah Canizzaro here in the Passage; some years ago, she saw an abalone pearl on Kojima's site and its allure stayed with her. She had commissioned other work from Kojima Company and found that working between her home in Oregon and Sarah's studio in California was a comfortable process.
Below, a photo from the design stage.
Because the pearl is 13.25 carats, it must be well-supported; Carolyn requested a discreet, simple setting that would not compete with the pearl (as if).
The wax cast shows the pearl held in a bezel with an arc top and integral loop.
This setting reveals as much of that pearl as possible, without compromising security.
At this point, Carolyn worried: would the 14k gold bezel look too heavy? A wax model looks bulkier than the metal setting will, because of its dark, opaque colour.
But there was another crucial factor. Carolyn (this woman can celebrate!) decided that Miss Abalone would have her own chain. The 2.4mm 18k 'wheat' or round style is supple yet substantial, the right scale for the setting. Sarah also sourced the chain for Carolyn; Carolyn says, "I would have paid much more for a chain of lower quality and less artistry at a local 'chain' store."
Once she saw the two elements together, Carolyn saw the harmony, and had only to await its delivery.
The pendant is luxurious and elegant, but wearable every day:
Here's Carolyn in her pendant:
She says, "This looks so perfect and elemental, just like it was born of nature and of water. What a wonderful experience." She also says, "I know the next generation will cherish it too."
Learning from Carolyn's project
1. The gem should guide the setting.
Some gems require certain designs to protect them. An axiom of jewellers is, "Any stone can be set in the right setting"; however some jewellers are pressured by the client. If you hear the words, "I can do it, but at your risk", take that seriously.
2. Consider choosing one fabulous pearl.
For the price, Carolyn could have bought an entire strand of quality freshwaters. But I absolutely love this approach. A friend's husband did the same thing a few years ago, investing in a single stunning Tahitian, beautifully-set by London jeweller Malcolm Morris. Very cool.
3. It's not just the pearl, it's the seller.
Exotic natural pearls (e.g., abalone, conch, melo melo, and natural oyster pearls) and cultured rarities (e.g., Sea of Cortez, Japan Kasumi and fancy Tahitians) will make a woman who once thought they were pedestrian develop a major pearl passion.
Just be sure you are buying from someone knowledgeable and trustworthy. I would not buy a loose rare, gem-quality pearl from a vendor who was not going to take responsibility for setting it.
My favourite is Kojima Company, because Sarah finds those pearls and is a dream to deal with. I met her a. dozen years ago when I e-mailed looking for a certain pearl variety and colour. She did not have them—and I forgot about my inquiry. A year later, she contacted me with photos of three strands. I chose one, and to this day people stop me on the street (in a nice way) to ask where I found it.
To learn more about abalone pearls and to see more astonishing abalone pearl pieces, read Sarah's comments here.
 |
| Abalone pearls, Kojima Company |
The natural colours are a swirl of blue and green, lit with flashing rose, lavender, purple and gold.
The photo at left (from Kojima Pearl Company's Instagram feed) shows the phenomenal colour that nature can create.
In the photo at left, the top shows an abalone pearl's characteristic 'sharks tooth' shape. The bottom pearl at left is actually four that developed in the mollusk over years.
The effect is as if a mermaid at the bottom of the sea sang to the skies, and the blazing pearl appeared.
Carolyn met Kojima Company's Sarah Canizzaro here in the Passage; some years ago, she saw an abalone pearl on Kojima's site and its allure stayed with her. She had commissioned other work from Kojima Company and found that working between her home in Oregon and Sarah's studio in California was a comfortable process.
Below, a photo from the design stage.
Because the pearl is 13.25 carats, it must be well-supported; Carolyn requested a discreet, simple setting that would not compete with the pearl (as if).The wax cast shows the pearl held in a bezel with an arc top and integral loop.
This setting reveals as much of that pearl as possible, without compromising security.
At this point, Carolyn worried: would the 14k gold bezel look too heavy? A wax model looks bulkier than the metal setting will, because of its dark, opaque colour.
But there was another crucial factor. Carolyn (this woman can celebrate!) decided that Miss Abalone would have her own chain. The 2.4mm 18k 'wheat' or round style is supple yet substantial, the right scale for the setting. Sarah also sourced the chain for Carolyn; Carolyn says, "I would have paid much more for a chain of lower quality and less artistry at a local 'chain' store."
The pendant is luxurious and elegant, but wearable every day:
Here's Carolyn in her pendant:
She says, "This looks so perfect and elemental, just like it was born of nature and of water. What a wonderful experience." She also says, "I know the next generation will cherish it too."
Learning from Carolyn's project
1. The gem should guide the setting.
Some gems require certain designs to protect them. An axiom of jewellers is, "Any stone can be set in the right setting"; however some jewellers are pressured by the client. If you hear the words, "I can do it, but at your risk", take that seriously.
2. Consider choosing one fabulous pearl.
For the price, Carolyn could have bought an entire strand of quality freshwaters. But I absolutely love this approach. A friend's husband did the same thing a few years ago, investing in a single stunning Tahitian, beautifully-set by London jeweller Malcolm Morris. Very cool.
 |
| Abalone pearl, Kojima Company |
Exotic natural pearls (e.g., abalone, conch, melo melo, and natural oyster pearls) and cultured rarities (e.g., Sea of Cortez, Japan Kasumi and fancy Tahitians) will make a woman who once thought they were pedestrian develop a major pearl passion.
Just be sure you are buying from someone knowledgeable and trustworthy. I would not buy a loose rare, gem-quality pearl from a vendor who was not going to take responsibility for setting it.
My favourite is Kojima Company, because Sarah finds those pearls and is a dream to deal with. I met her a. dozen years ago when I e-mailed looking for a certain pearl variety and colour. She did not have them—and I forgot about my inquiry. A year later, she contacted me with photos of three strands. I chose one, and to this day people stop me on the street (in a nice way) to ask where I found it.
To learn more about abalone pearls and to see more astonishing abalone pearl pieces, read Sarah's comments here.
Comments
Sarah is herself a gem. Thanks for sharing.