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Distancing itself from what is traditionally accepted as culture, popular culture is woven into the very fabric of our lives by the colorful, textured skeins of sports and sporting heroes; of divas and prima donnas, warbling and pirouetting in their spheres of influence; the beautiful people of television and cinema who become so ingrained in our collective consciousness that we feel a double-dipping closeness with them; the inexplicable fascination we have for royalty, particularly the British variety; or politics and politicians. Then, of course, there’s the mass media that makes all of the above possible.

What, you wonder, does this have […]

Lurking somewhere in the recesses of the frenetic holiday season, until it stealthily manifests in mid-February, Valentine’s Day makes its vigorous appeal to lovers around the world to boldly, unabashedly proclaim their terms of endearment. Even the faint of heart are infused with a sense of courage and exhilaration that they did not know they could possess, all in the name of love.

After a lull in January, retailers swing to the ring of cash registers as red roses, chocolates, and the more enduring and memorable gifts of pearl jewelry, are bought as symbols of timeless, endless love. St. Valentine of […]

The message of Christmas has endured for generation upon generation like a lustrous pearl; a message of hope, peace, joy, and, above all, love. It’s that time of year when the jubilation of the season spreads throughout the world.

Jack Frost does not necessarily nip at everyone’s nose, nor are chestnuts being roasted on an open fire everywhere, but you are just as likely to see a gorgeously trimmed Christmas tree in the pearl of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka, as you are likely to see one in cold and blustery Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The air of festivity and merriment is palpable, a […]

Her glance is tentative and shy; her eyes reflect a certain sense of innocence and purity; her perfectly oval countenance luminous and captivating, like the beautiful baroque pearl earring that adorns the young woman’s delicate earlobe. Immortalized on canvas by Johannes Vermeer in 1665, during the Dutch Golden Age, this oil painting on canvas is on display at the Hague in the Netherlands.

I wonder what compelled the Dutch master to paint this portrait. Did Vermeer use the ingenue’s seemingly ethereal features to highlight the loveliness of the pearl earring? Or did he see in the girl’s face the perfect complement […]

My Grandmother’s Pearls

Perfectly round, white pearls, set in 24K gold filigree, my grandmother’s earrings were ornate and exotic. They swung like little chandeliers when she wore them. At the base were more little pearls pierced with tiny gold balls. Completing the set was a matching gold bangle encircled with gleaming white pearls. My grandfather had bought this exquisitely hand-crafted pearl ensemble on a visit to India in the 1940’s. Many years later on my wedding day, my grandmother lovingly placed the pearl bangle on my wrist. No wedding gift I received was as precious as my beloved grandmother’s pearls.

Not My […]

Pearls have a fascinating way of uniting women across the great social and economic divide. That’s the conclusion I have arrived at from countless pleasurable hours of immersing myself in old movies, respectfully referred to by pseudo-pundits like myself as classics.

Over the years, my interest in pearls so smoothly overlaps my passion for vintage cinema, that I find my eyes straying to the graceful necks of some leading ladies, simply because they happen to be wearing this most sought after treasure of the water.
In the 1950 drama, All About Eve, Anne Baxter, plays the lead as a down and out, […]

February 14th sees the day (and night) where many of us fabulous females accentuate our natural womanly assets and practice the art of seduction.

With-partner or not, Valentines seems like the perfect time to celebrate female sexuality in abundance. So we thought we’d transport you to Renaissance Venice, for a little look, at how the professionals do it. Pearls, and all…

Venice. Home of winding waterways, the celebrated gondola, the carnival, decadent seduction, glittering masks, ferocious independence, and the dark side of glamour. It is here, around the 16th century, that a subtle uprising occurred in the world of women’s fashion, with […]

Who Wins the Pearly Prize?

Inspired by the amazing exhibition at the V&A, we bring you a countdown to the ultimate trend-setters of pearl perfection. Can you guess who is at number 1? The results might surprise…

5) Marilyn Monroe

Born Norma Jean Baker in 1926, Monroe captured the hearts and imaginations of millions with her sizzling screen presence and vivacious feminine glamour.  Despite monumental starlet status, and her performance of ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’ in 1953, she only owned two pieces of valuable jewelry, both gifted to her by Joe Di Maggio. One was a diamond ring, and the other, […]