I thought I would share what a carpet of pearls look like. It’s magic seeing so many strands lined up. I have set my task for this long weekend to make a few more long white necklaces and may add some colours to the mix. To get myself in the mood I start inspecting the pearls I have in stock to begin the process of hand picking suitable even matches, to make the strands look as beautifully put together as I can.
Hence the carpet of pearls
I have just completed the longest pearl necklace I have made in a long long time if ever! I used sensational newly arrived white pearls and sprinkles of gold, pink, bronze, apricot, cream and the occasional black.
Beautifully placed pearls to give a special texture and flow. With a 77 inch necklace you can wear it as a Double, Triple or looped through as a Y Style. So versatile!
An absolutely glorious oval cut diamond weighing 88 carat was sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong just recently for a whopping $14 million. Only two similar sized ones at around the 50 carat mark have been auctioned before but not for this past 5 years. The Japanese purchaser called it “Manami Star” after his daughter and it is considered to be lucky, because the weight at 88! is a very highly regarded number in Asian countries.
88 is said to symbolize perfection and eternity and of course this stunning gem is particularly prized for it’s outstanding symmetry. It took several painstaking months of grinding and polishing to capture the perfect cut for this diamond. Can you imagine if your hand quivered for an instant and you ground one little section to the left or the right. Coming from a very long line spanning 100 years of diamond cutters, I know from family, that the slip of the wrist can dictate the quality of the cut of a diamond, my grand Aunt was one of the best diamond cutters until her death in the early 1960’s.
Yes extraordinary gems such as these are cut by someone outstandingly gifted in the industry. Knowing exactly how to start and to figure out exactly where to cut first is a huge responsibility. Then having the patience needed to see it through to it’s magnificent completion over months of careful planning and precision cutting. Phew! Beads of sweat are forming on my forehead just thinking about it
Diamonds are cut so that a light ray falling on the gem is reflected multiple times inside the diamond and therefore sends out light in all directions. Actually, diamonds don’t shine, they reflect.
I have just completed some very sweet white pearl necklaces. After getting on to a new supplier I just had to try making some simple but really elegant white pearl necklaces. The short one is a choker and sits beautifully on the neckline. It seems not only long white pearl and black and white pearl necklaces are the thing for 2019 but many gals are opting for the pearl choker right now. As for the long Pearl necklaces nothing can beat a graceful, flowing, white pearl necklace. These are 40 and 44 inch respectively.
A truly lovely sapphire and diamond coronet once owned by Queen Victoria was designed and made for her by her beloved husband Prince Albert and gifted to the queen in 1840 the year of their wedding. It now safely sits in the Victoria and Albert Museum on display for the world to admire, however this delicate piece of fine jewellery, may have been lost for ever.
After the premature death of Albert in 1862, Victoria went into mourning. When she next re-opened parliament, instead of wearing her stately crown, she wore the beautiful coronet. We can only imagine how this symbolic gesture of wearing a very personal piece must have meant to her and to anyone who knew of the meaning behind it.
Victoria later gifted the lovely piece to her family and it was then later owned by the Earl of Harwood’s family. A purchaser bought it in 2000 and tried taking it out of UK. Luckily the fortunate foreign owner was offered a princely sum for the love token and a cool $6 million saw to it that the coronet remained in Britain.
The Julleen Pearl Jewellery range has a miracle Lobe Lift in the form of a ball and stud Earring in beautiful sterling silver. I am so happy to say it is available again and Just! in time for Mother’s Day. And for the very first time we introduce it on Julleen Jewels – on Etsy.
https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/685601448/a-set-of-sterling-silver-lobe-lift
The miracle actually being the back clip that props up your droopy lobes, is back in stock. This simple but clever levered butterfly clip works wonders and is one of our best sellers. Nearly everyone who purchases a stud earring decides to get one to enhance the overall look of your earring and some come back for more for relatives and friends.
The look of a stud pearl or any earring really, looks firmer on the ear with this Lobe Lift Earring. It makes your earring more centered and in looks much neater and more in place. It has another function of stopping your lobe from elongating further. I think we can all appreciate after having worn an earring for many years the lobe becomes more saggy as we age too.
Take a look at my little video on the Droopy Ear Lobes and the Lifter that.
There was a little build up of excitement there, regarding the Pearl Earring that has been worn by both Princess Diana and Kate. I thought I would pay homage to the stunning style of both women and created a similar style with a pearl that is so lovely and really has almost the volume of Diana’s Pearl Earrings. Hope you love it as I do
I call it Virgina Bow.
I am forever on the look out for Royals and Women of prominence wearing pearl earrings or pearl necklaces. I just discovered the images of the lovely earrings Kate wore to this year’s BAFTA’s were Diana’s, however the size of the pearls have definitely changed and so have the small details of the caps that top the pearls.
Diana wore huge more rounded pearls in this design but as we see, here Kate is wearing a more slender and sleeker tear drop shaped pearl, with variegated caps and less volume. These are most probably lighter to wear and not heavy for a delicate ear lobe. It’s here I make a reference to well “Maybe she should have been wearing the Julleen LOBE LIFT”.
Perhaps the original pearls had been changed at Kate’s request. Who knows but after 20 years in the pearl business I have a very keen eye for sizes and shapes of pearls, which is maddening sometimes. oh well c’est la vie! I give you! our two Princesses wearing their pearl earrings – you tell me –
can you spot the difference!
Here’s the Julleen Lobe Lift Secret Earring
https://www.julleen.com/product/lobe-lift-secret-earring/
I am so excited to share these images of the newly arrived AA grade White freshwater 11 mm pearls. Just huge but the quality has not suffered. The lustre is truly stunning allowing for smooth and even surfaces that everyone is going just love. It’s been a long time since I have found quality pearls, as these, to work with. I can’t wait to begin making some stunning new huge white pearl necklaces and I intend to share my new creations with the world! right here on my blog shortly.
Also freshly arrived are some magic creamy magnolia white oval pearls which I will enjoy pairing up for drop pearl earrings and feature others in some of my new designer pearl necklaces!
Many stunning designs appear at the Japan Jewellery Association’s annual jewellery designs awards. From the outset, my own interests have always been, all about the designs, we pearl jewellery designers can create. Understandably then, this Japanese design just blew my mind. The ingenuity of this particular vision was spectacular. Copious amounts of pearls are bezel set into a jewelled collar with three strands luxuriously positioned all the way around the back of the neck but wait there’s more! Again three luscious long strands and evenly tiered strings of white pearls, cascade down the front to make for a long flowing outrageously stunning, triple stranded pearl necklace. WOW!
MY own attempts at making Pearl Collars I thought were quite lovely but I think this new award wining Japanese design is just too heavenly not to appreciate and I just had to share it with you today.
