
From conservative status symbol to infinitely cool – today’s pearls hold their value in both jewellery boxes and the jewellery world. These age-old beauties are the ultimate in resilience
PHOTOGRAPHER I JOSEPH MOLINES
STYLING I NATALIE HARTLEY
hair pin, Maria Black £246
Until fairly recently, pearls had developed a reputation for being conservative. Now, thanks to modern iterations, the tide (no pun intended) is changing. Modern pearls are all about natural shape – they’re raw and asymmetric, individual and redefined. And jewellery designer Anissa Kermiche is leading the way.
“I’ve been fascinated with pearls from a very young age, because of my mother – she always experimented with them to accessorise both classic and casual outfits," explains Kermiche. "My mother would wear a classic set of pearl stud earrings and necklace, then pair with pieces of gold jewellery. This combination still influences me today and inspired me to create a fine collection dedicated to the classic pearl, Rondeur. I think, first of all, about a unique way that we can work or set the pearl and then the other materials follow. The pearl is always the centrepiece. In my opinion, pearls go with everything and every woman can wear pearls, no matter what her age.”
With regard to size, the bigger the better. The more perfectly round the pearl is, the higher the value. ‘Baroque’ is the term used to describe pearls that are distorted in shape. They’re largely worthless, but often seen as more interesting from a design perspective.
You might argue that diving for pearls could be seen as a shortcut to investing in pearls as your eliminating the middleman. Then again, it’s probably easier and safer all round to head to the below…
Anissa Kermiche, Ana Khouri, Mateo, Simone Rochas, Mizuki, Hirotaka, Alighieri, Mikimoto, Tiffany, Yoko London, Kiki McDonough
HAIR I MAKI TANAKA
MAKEUP I NATSUMI NARITA
LIGHTING ASSISTANT I BEN COOPER
DIGI OPERATOR I MEHRAN PAKGOHAR
PRODUCER I SIMONE SCHOFER
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR I NOOT COATES
MODELS I AMAL TOBI @ M+P
Words I Naomi Barling
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY I GETTY IMAGES