Kamala Harris' pitch-perfect pearls

Several readers wanted to be sure I saw Kamala Harris' pearls last Wednesday. I was poised, waiting for them! For Vice-President Harris, pearls have long held sentimental significance. Thousands of women wore theirs in celebration.

Harris' Wilfredo Rosado South Sea, diamond and white gold necklace was perfect for the historic occasion: sculptural, serene, and the right scale. However, our occasions are more casual, so today I'm talking about another of her pieces. 

For one of the two versions of January's Vogue cover, she wore her own blazer, black jeans and Converses, an ensemble which some thought lacked authority. And with that, the same long pearl station necklace in which she accepted the Democratic nomination. (I thought, pearls and your Chucks, all right!)

That style, also known as "floating pearl" or "Tin Cup", has been popular for decades, for a reason: it's ultra-versatile and lighter than a full strand. It is also a fantastic reno option for pearls that have somehow shrunk in length.

Harris' is an Irene Neuwirth "Gumball" necklace of South Seas and akoyas on a heavy 18k chain.. (The price for a shorter version on Neuwirth's site is just over $11, 000.)

Hers is more substantial than the version that launched a thousand copies, worn in "Tin Cup" by Renée Russo:

Because you can find the classic easily, I've dressed today's window with variations.

 

Clockwise from upper left:

1. Bright multi-colour Tahitian pearl Tin Cup, shown with the pearls nestled together so you can thrill to those seven astonishing colours. The pearls are 9mm-10mm; the 14k chain is finished with two small keshi at the back. Length, 18 inches. From Kamoka Pearls, sellers of fine, environmentally-farmed Tahitians; price, $US 1, 790.  

2. A substantial 22k chain of arrow links with 2.5mm pearls by Cathy Waterman: more than a chain, but hardly jeune-fille. and, given Waterman's characteristic quality, a lifetime investment. Price, $US 5, 585 at Twistonline.

3. Anyone up for paradise? Kojima Company's "Paradise" 66 in. station necklace composed of Japan Akoya and South Seas of various sizes and colours—ivory, pink, white, golden, silver— on gold fill chain. If reno-inclined, talk to Sarah Canizzaro and her team about styling your existing pearls into a similar design—but this is a sublime piece. Price, $US 1, 620 (and there is presently a sale.)

4. For those who prefer their pearls mixed with gemstones: an Etsy seller based in Hong Kong, HazelGisele, makes a 36 in. station necklace of 10-11mm baroque freshwaters with prehnite, peridot and fluorite, very pretty. Price, $CDN 115. 

Vice-President Harris need not look far for pearl company; also at the inauguration (but too bundled or robed to see their jewellery) were Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, well-known for pearls (a multicoloured Tahitian strand, especially),  Justice Sonia  Sotomayor, who swore the Vice-President in, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

There is much work to be done in every aspect of America's civic life, of life for every country battered by the times. What matters is not these remarkable women's attire, but their talent, energy and ethics. May they have the support of their compatriots, to change things for the better...

in pearls.