Fishermen in ancient times must have marvelled to crack open an oyster and find this otherworldly miracle. When you think ‘pearl’, you probably picture the classic pearl – perfectly round, moon-like and iridescent white. The round pearl is the most sought-after and valuable pearl shape, singly or strung together in a bracelet or necklace.
Because natural pearls are exceedingly rare and expensive, they were the original luxury item, worn only by royalty or the ultra-wealthy. In 1893, Kokichi Mikimoto learned how to help nature along, placing tiny beads into oysters to stimulate them into creating “cultured pearls”. Pearl farms spread across the Far East, and pearl jewellery became more accessible during the 20th century. Cultured pearls are often perfectly spherical and come in a range of colours and sizes.
When a foreign body gets into the shell of an oyster, mollusk or conch, the creature protects its soft flesh by coating the irritant in layers of smooth nacre (mother-of-pearl). There are cultured freshwater pearls and three types of cultured saltwater pearls: richly coloured Tahitian pearls, golden or silvery South Sea pearls, and lustrous and perfectly round Akoya pearls.
At Olivia & Pearl, we carefully hand-select cultured pearls from oysters and freshwater mussels. All our pearls are top certified AAA+ grade. Our founder Olivia visits ethical family-run pearl farms across Asia, selecting pearls based on their individual beauty.
Perfectly symmetrical round pearls have a timeless elegance – that can be updated with ease. Reinvent the classic pearl look with your own unique touches: layer several necklaces, drape an endless strand down your back, add a striking pearl charm to hoop earrings, or build an ear stack with round pearl studs alongside edgy cuffs and drops.
Gigi Hadid magnified the power of her Versace power suit with a colossal pearl stack necklace with oversized pearl drop pendant. And Billie Eilish, now officially a legend as the youngest-ever Bond theme composer (with brother Finneas), chose a round pearl-and-gold necklace (and gold foil eye shadow) for the No Time To Die premiere at the Royal Albert Hall.
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