The PEARL Lovers Thread!

[BigPurseSue]

Since we're talking about royal jewelry, to keep this pearl-focused.... I've always loved Diana's famous pearl sapphire choker. Breathtaking! Kenneth Jay Lane did a lovely costume repro of it which always made me swoon and want to reach for my credit card every time I saw it on QVC, but honestly I've never had any occasion to wear something like that. It always looked so perfect on Diana.

 

[cdtracing]

Since we're talking about royal jewelry, to keep this pearl-focused.... I've always loved Diana's famous pearl sapphire choker. Breathtaking! Kenneth Jay Lane did a lovely costume repro of it which always made me swoon and want to reach for my credit card every time I saw it on QVC, but honestly I've never had any occasion to wear something like that. It always looked so perfect on Diana.

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Yes, I always loved that pearl choker. The Sapphire is spectacular & it always looked so good on her. I wonder where it is now. I don't know if it stayed in her private collection or if it went into the Royal Jewel Collection with so many others. I would love to see this being worn again, especially by Kate.

Camilla has a couple of chokers that are similar but with different center stone. One is a 3 strand choker with a huge step cut Aquamarine with diamonds. I think the center piece is detachable. Here's a pic of it:

She also has a 5 strand pearl choke with a huge pink Topaz that' gorgeous!! Here's a pic of it:

I love these chokers but like you, I don't really have a place or function to wear something this formal anymore. I still love to look at them, tho!

 

[Evia]

Yes, I always loved that pearl choker. The Sapphire is spectacular & it always looked so good on her. I wonder where it is now. I don't know if it stayed in her private collection or if it went into the Royal Jewel Collection with so many others. I would love to see this being worn again, especially by Kate. Camilla has a couple of chokers that are similar but with different center stone. One is a 3 strand choker with a huge step cut Aquamarine with diamonds. I think the center piece is detachable. Here's a pic of it:

She also has a 5 strand pearl choke with a huge pink Topaz that' gorgeous!! Here's a pic of it:

I love these chokers but like you, I don't really have a place or function to wear something this formal anymore. I still love to look at them, tho!

These are lovely, the aquamarine is my favourite of the 3 chokers. They must be quite heavy to wear I think.

 

[cdtracing]

These are lovely, the aquamarine is my favourite of the 3 chokers. They must be quite heavy to wear I think.

I think the Aquamarine is also a brooch. She inherited it (the brooch) from her mother. The Pink Topaz started out as a brooch as well...Edwardian, I think. Both are beautiful pieces.

 

[BigPurseSue]

Yes, I always loved that pearl choker. The Sapphire is spectacular & it always looked so good on her. I wonder where it is now. I don't know if it stayed in her private collection or if it went into the Royal Jewel Collection with so many others. I would love to see this being worn again, especially by Kate.

Camilla has a couple of chokers that are similar but with different center stone. One is a 3 strand choker with a huge step cut Aquamarine with diamonds. I think the center piece is detachable. Here's a pic of it:

She also has a 5 strand pearl choke with a huge pink Topaz that' gorgeous!! Here's a pic of it:

I love these chokers but like you, I don't really have a place or function to wear something this formal anymore. I still love to look at them, tho!

Quiet my heart! Those chokers are beyond breathtaking. The pink topaz especially. It looks stunning on Camille. Who knew such amazing gems existed?

If I were a princess I would wear my pearl and gem choker every day. The tiara too!

I was under the impression that Diana's sapphire and pearl choker was made especially for her with a sapphire broach given to her by the Queen Mother. So it's probably in the family's private collection. I think it would look wonderful on Kate, but perhaps it's still too fraught with meaning. Although it will be 20 years since Diane died. Gads! It seems not so very long ago.

Thank you for posting the cool pictures!

 

[BigPurseSue]

These are lovely, the aquamarine is my favourite of the 3 chokers. They must be quite heavy to wear I think.

Not only that but the jewelers must custom-fit them to the woman's neck. In the pictures the pearl strands and center brooch always lay so perfectly on the neck. They're never flipped or askew. They're always perfectly draped around the neck and fall right at the collarbone. Even when Diana was dancing you never saw a pearl strand out of place. And they're not worn tight against the neck either. The jewelers must do some fitting magic to customize the choker as every woman's neck is different.

 

[Evia]

Not only that but the jewelers must custom-fit them to the woman's neck. In the pictures the pearl strands and center brooch always lay so perfectly on the neck. They're never flipped or askew. They're always perfectly draped around the neck and fall right at the collarbone. Even when Diana was dancing you never saw a pearl strand out of place. And they're not worn tight against the neck either. The jewelers must do some fitting magic to customize the choker as every woman's neck is different.

Oh yes, never even thought of that. Wouldn't you just love to be able to have a poke about in the family vaults?

 

[BigPurseSue]

Oh yes, never even thought of that. Wouldn't you just love to be able to have a poke about in the family vaults?

Oooh! It would be just like re-living the thrill of poking around mom's jewelry box for the first time when you were a kid. Back in the day when you believed all those big rhinestone brooches really contained diamonds and other rare gems.

I wonder whether when a gal like Kate marries into the Royal Family she gets a day when she is "introduced" to the family gems. Or does she just have to hope for little peeks now and then?

 

[GoStanford]

I've been watching the Netflix series The Crown, and the young Queen Elizabeth character wears beautiful two-strand and three-strand pearls on a regular basis. I'm going through my jewelry box and I have a strand of baroque cultured freshwater pearls from Blue Nile. I wore this necklace regularly for a couple of years, but haven't worn it in more than a year, and am somewhat "off" the baroque look.

Do any of you have ideas on how to layer this with other necklaces? I don't have other white pearl necklaces other than one pendant set in yellow gold, and the clasp of this baroque necklace is in silver. I offered it to our local jewelry reseller, but he didn't think it suited his resale market either.

 

[Hanadama]

Ooh do you have a photo of the necklace?

I think it would look good layered with a longer tin cup necklace, or with chains - either one long chain or multiple of various lengths. OR you could take the necklace apart and turn it into a tin cup.

 

[GoStanford]

Ooh do you have a photo of the necklace?

I think it would look good layered with a longer tin cup necklace, or with chains - either one long chain or multiple of various lengths. OR you could take the necklace apart and turn it into a tin cup.

I'll dig it out and post a photo later. Tin cup has been on my mind...thinking of getting a multicolor tin cup as a holiday present to myself, but I must say the idea of taking this apart and turning it into a tin cup is a great one. I honestly don't think these particular baroque pearls are very valuable, so it would mostly be the value of the metal in making the tin cup chain. I have to find a good local jeweler as well in the San Francisco area. (I mean, there are plenty of high-end jewelers, but somebody moderately priced who would take this on as a project.)

I've looked at every single photo in this thread to get ideas and to see whether the pearls have to be of similar size when multiple strands are layered. What do you think?

 

[Evia]

I'll dig it out and post a photo later. Tin cup has been on my mind...thinking of getting a multicolor tin cup as a holiday present to myself, but I must say the idea of taking this apart and turning it into a tin cup is a great one. I honestly don't think these particular baroque pearls are very valuable, so it would mostly be the value of the metal in making the tin cup chain. I have to find a good local jeweler as well in the San Francisco area. (I mean, there are plenty of high-end jewelers, but somebody moderately priced who would take this on as a project.)

I've looked at every single photo in this thread to get ideas and to see whether the pearls have to be of similar size when multiple strands are layered. What do you think?

What's a tin cup necklace?

 

[Hanadama]

I'll dig it out and post a photo later. Tin cup has been on my mind...thinking of getting a multicolor tin cup as a holiday present to myself, but I must say the idea of taking this apart and turning it into a tin cup is a great one. I honestly don't think these particular baroque pearls are very valuable, so it would mostly be the value of the metal in making the tin cup chain. I have to find a good local jeweler as well in the San Francisco area. (I mean, there are plenty of high-end jewelers, but somebody moderately priced who would take this on as a project.)

I've looked at every single photo in this thread to get ideas and to see whether the pearls have to be of similar size when multiple strands are layered. What do you think?

What's a tin cup necklace?

Here are a couple I made!

GoStandford - they are actually pretty easy to make - you just need some chain, wire and a few tools. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post about other forums here but if you google "pearl information forum" the first link that comes up has a lot of information on pearls and making your own jewellery. It has a sub forum called "the lowly beaders club" where people can post and ask questions about their jewellery making projects.

Re your layering question, I don't think the pearls need to be the same size.

 

[Evia]

Here are a couple I made!

GoStandford - they are actually pretty easy to make - you just need some chain, wire and a few tools. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post about other forums here but if you google "pearl information forum" the first link that comes up has a lot of information on pearls and making your own jewellery. It has a sub forum called "the lowly beaders club" where people can post and ask questions about their jewellery making projects.

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Thanks, I see now, they are very pretty

 

[GoStanford]

Thanks, I see now, they are very pretty

Apparently they get their name from the movie Tin Cup. Rene Russo, the love interest, wears this style. But presumably that was already a style of necklace prior to the movie!