There’s nothing like being accidentally ahead of a trend. I recently lost an earring whilst at my parents' house (#firstworldproblems) and to prevent my top-hole closing I purloined from my mum's extensive pearl collection. A single stud. Just to stop the top-hole closing up, you understand. When I’d posted the obligatory ear shot on Instagram (‘earfies’: big for 2014?) and it got more likes/minute than a chocolate covered cat, it made me realize people’s perceptions of pearls might be subtly changing.
Bear with me! I can see your sceptical screen-faces. But I’m not trying to turn you into Sloanes – this is all about pearls 2.0. Forget gobstopper pearls, as beloved by the eighties, or thirteen-year-olds trying to be Taylor Swift. These pearls are subversive; worn double dropped, on the ankle, or in just one ear.
The person heading up the new pearl revival is uber-cool Danish jeweller, Sophie Bille Brahe. Her pearl-based collection certainly isn’t one for your grandma. Her edgy double pearl bar (below) – yes, bar - has already sold out and been re-stocked on Net-a-Porter. Other ultra modern twists on the trad ‘rah’ gem include pearl ear cuffs, a pearl anklet and pearl midi rings (above), finger-twinned with a regular pearl ring. (Have I typed the word pearl enough times to hypnotise you?)
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Bille Brahe’s not the only one either. Maria Stern’s sterling silver rings are trimmed with four pearls, though if the idea of committing to quite so many pearls scares you (habits are hard to break, after all) then look to the 25-year-old daughter of Fendi’s Silvia Fendi, Delfina Delettrez. The jewellery designer has been busily scattergunning pearls into her humorous, ultra covetable collection - Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Madonna are all fans. Her pearl and 18ct gold half-rings (below) are designer to sit ‘between’ your finger, combined with motifs such as a bright blue evil eye, or a golden bumble bee. Meanwhile her single pearl earring sees a pearl stud from which a pair of playful enamel lips is suspended, like an ever-ready air snog.
For more friendly price points ASOS – who have serious form in predicting what we’re going to want before we even want it (#lifeskills) – are in the process of restocking their £6 faux double pearl earrings made to look as expensive as Delettrez’s by art director, Laberiane Ponton. So bookmark that page. They also do some cool dangly pearls, too. Funked up by a very thin, long double chain, they remind us of tiny pearly wrecking balls and look especially good when worn with something like an oversized tartan shirt in that perfect high-low kind of way.
Pictures: Courtesy of Sophie Bille Brahe, Delfina Delettrez, The Blab
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.