Fall Preview: Black Pearls

I have written about pearls, their history and magic many times, yet pearls, are a gem I keep coming back to. Today I'm going you show you some of my most recent designs, this time using Tahitian black pearls (both classic and Baroque) as the starting point for a beautiful earring and cocktail ring set. 

I designed these beautiful pieces with the the city of Barcelona as a background and inspiration.  I was there recently, and fell in love all over again with the church of the Sagrada Familia and all of the city's Gothic charm.  The Baroque black pearls reminded me of Gaudi's masterpiece and its intricate and irregular designs.  When I was staring at the beautiful grey stonework, I had to find a way for a woman to carry such beauty around town herself.  That is when the idea to use black gold, and black pearls came about.  The diamonds were an obvious complement and the rest is jewelry history.  




As you can see in the pictures of the fabulous ring below, the black Tahitian Baroque pearl was a stunning choice. Black pearls come in a range of colors such as peacock, dark blues and greens, to even multihued. All are super chic and unbelievably gorgeous. Baroque style black pearls are even more unique. They get their name from the irregularities on the surface which include banding, elongated shapes, and off black colors.  It takes up to three years for the mollusk (in this case the pinctada margaritifera or black lipped oyster) to make a Baroque black pearl.  Since this and all Baroque pearls are a special anomaly, they are one of a kind and quite valuable.   




The shape of the earrings was also a direct reaction to the elongated and irregular silhouette of the church.  For the earrings I went with a classic Tahitian pearl.  I saw the smoothness as a great counterpoint to the rough setting.


In keeping with the Gaudi spirit, the pearls rest on an irregular bed of black gold and white diamonds.  I chose black gold because it would make the beautiful and shiny diamonds really stand out.  I also went with black because it was Gothically inspired and looked beautiful against the pearls. 


This beautiful set tells the story of a city.  Both the statemtn ring and earrings are very avant garde, very modern, much like Barcelona herself. What makes them even more compelling is the perfect balance of all the elements.  What do you think of my Barcelona inspired gems?  


Love Always
Dani K