Pearl Trends in the Spotlight

I'm so happy everyone else has finally figured out what you and I have known all along! 

Pearls ~ They got it goin' on!

Pearl's popularity and revitalization up-tick started a few years back and has been steadily climbing.

 

The recent jewelry shows solidified Pearls as one of the hottest trends happening right now. 

  

Proof that Pearls have got it goin' on

trend-wise is evident all over the internet. 

Just take a look at Pinterest 

and Instagram for starters.

Pearls on Trend: 

Here's a few things that are hot and happening in the pearl-world right now. 

According to a survey in 

National Jeweler Magazine, 

Here's How Consumers Feel About Cultured Pearl Jewelry

It's exciting how men are embracing the pearl as their gem of choice these days (Yay!!) and many consumers aged 25-35 are also sparking the pearl engagement ring trend, too!

LOVE IT!!

Check out the 2021 Benchmark Study of Consumer Preferences of Pearls released by the CPAA and MVI to see the numbers for yourself.

You just Googled, 

'men wearing pearls', 

didn't you?!  

Told ya!

I think it's cool.

Has been for a long time. 

Alice Cooper wears a pearl around his neck.

 

Want to see a really cool pic of him wearing his leather and pearl necklace while playing guitar on stage with Johnnie Depp?

 

Hop on over to Glide Magazine 

and check it out!

 

I attended Alice's Christmas Pudding 

 in Phoenix many year's back 

and he had one on.

I was in the audience 

sitting right behind his Mom. 

(That was cool!)

 

Have you ever seen Steven Tyler drenched in Tahitian pearls?

 

Google that one!

I've also seen Jon Bon Jovi 

wear a single pearl 

on leather around his neck 

while on stage, too. 

Very Hot!

I'm telling you, 

everyone looks great in pearls!

Lucky for us, 

the pearl jewelry trend 

shows no signs of slowing down. 

  

Since I'm overjoyed that pearls 

are everywhere right now, 

I thought I'd show you some cool pearl jewelry that I drooled over recently.

 

But first, before I show you the 

drool-worthy pearl loot, 

here's some tips on how you can up-cycle 

your own pearl jewelry for a fresh look.

If all you have in your jewelry box 

is a classic strand of 

Pearly Whites

Bring them up-to-date with some fun and ultra stylish chains!

'Chains and Charms'

Still a jewelry industry buzz-phrase.

Put on a few chain necklaces of different lengths that feature various pendants and your favorite pearl strand and you'll have today's hottest layered necklace look down pat! 

And, what's every pearl strand's best friend?

Why the pendant, of course!

Add a pendant (or two!) 

to your strand of pearls. 

It's a fun and easy way to pep 'em up!

Colored gemstones are shining brightly 

everywhere right now, too.

It's never out of style to mix in some 

bright colors with your pearls!

And then there's Earrings!

Long woven pearl drop earrings - MiShel Designs

Long and lean pearl-drop earrings are tickling wearer's shoulders as they tease our eyes with their beauty.

And, hoop earrings of all shapes and sizes 

adorned with pearls can be seen 

everywhere these days.

Hoops are a classic staple and hoops with pearls are beautifully showing their trendy luster.

Check out page 14 of the CPAA's August 2021 issue of #THISISPEARL

to see some really cool pearl hoop earrings.

Okay - now it's time to show you

 my latest pearl jewelry obsessions:

This beautiful necklace literally stopped me in my tracks - jaw on the ground!

Of course it's by Todd Reed!

Yep. AMAZING! 

Hop over to his Instagram page and check it out!

And Lika Behar's Kristen Cuff's are another obsession I have!

 

They're big, bold, chunky and FUN!

Check this out from her website - GORGEOUS!!

I would seriously wear this everyday! 

You should see the one in bright silver - it's an award winner!

Check out her website for more options on this cuff.

And of course, pearls and turquoise together are popping up everywhere now.

  

It's high-time everyone caught on to this super cool combo. 

 

I mean, what's not to love, right? 

Little H is one designer that's been doing this trend right for quite some time now.

I mean, just look at this!

 

Go check out all her other cool pearl jewelry, too. 

She's another fav of mine!

Drop me a note and let me know what your favorite pearl jewelry trends are right now, I'd love to hear!

You can reach me HERE.

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Pearls Baby!

Cheers,

Shel

Michelle (Shelly) Buettner is a Certified Pearl Specialist through the Cultured Pearl Association of America (CPAA) and she holds a Graduate Pearls Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).  In addition to creating her own jewelry line she is also a freelance copywriter for the gem and jewelry industry who can often be found fawning over pearls in her spare time. Follow Shel’s jewelry blog at MiShelDesigns.net or her copy blog at ShellyBuettner.com. See what she’s snapping over on Instagram @pearlgeek or connect with her over on LinkedIn

Pearls ~ Today's Hottest Jewelry Trend

AH, PEARLS!

Since pearls are my favorite gem, I'm loving the fact that they're showing up everywhere these days!

What more could a pearl-girl ask for, right?! 

I love how jewelry connects us to people, 

places, or certain times in our lives.

Meaningful jewelry is one of the phrases that echoed through the halls at the jewelry shows in Vegas recently, too. 

The Colosseum in Rome 

has this beautiful cross, 

which was challenging to photograph 

from where I was able to stand, 

but the ancient, rustic ruins inspired me 

back in 2012 & 2013 to 

create pearl jewelry that 

reminded me of my time in Italy.

Quite often, when I see pearls 

~ especially large, beautiful, baroque ones ~ 

I think of Ancient Empires

 and the important role pearls have played in our history. 

I believe this is why I like seeing pearls 

used in interesting, some-what rustic looking ways. 

I love seeing pearls mixed with textured metals

 or mingled amidst ancient coins, crosses, and other relics.

A couple of pearl trends that are hot right now are hoop earrings.

Hoops Are Trending - Big Time!

Personally I think Hoops, just like Pearls, 

are ALWAYS on trend. 

 

But then again, I can be seen wearing 

the same simple pair of sterling silver hoops daily. 

For years...and years.

Hey, when something works, you stick with it, right?

Another hot trend in pearls is

Baroque Pearl Shapes

Jewelry featuring baroque shaped pearls is one trend that's growing in popularity with no signs of slowing down soon.  (Yay!!)

I feel they're some of the most interesting and beautiful pearls around!

So tell me, 

What's your favorite type of pearl?

Your favorite piece of pearl jewelry?

Do you see yourself wearing any of today's 

hottest pearl trends?

If so, which ones?

Let me know in the comments below or hop on over to Instagram and let me know. 

I hope you've enjoyed our little Pearl-Time.

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Pearls, Baby!!

Cheers,

Shel 

For your further Pearl enjoyment,

I've included a few links to some fabulous resources such as:

GIA

CPAA

Pearl-Guide.com

This is Pearl - June 2022 Issue

(This writer/jewelry designer is on page 38!)

~ ENJOY ~ 

Michelle Ludlam-Buettner (Shel) is a Certified Pearl Specialist through the Cultured Pearl Association of America (CPAA) and she holds a Graduate Pearls Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). In addition to creating her own jewelry line, she is also a freelance copywriter specializing in the gem and jewelry industry who can often be found fawning over pearls in her spare time.  Follow Shel’s blog at MiShelDesigns.net and ShellyBuettner.com or see what she’s snapping over on Instagram @pearlgeek.

A Tutorial For You On A Snowy Day!

Since moving from sunny Arizona back to my small hometown in central Illinois last fall (yep, I moved back to 'Mayberry'!) I've come to appreciate the beauty of winter again. 

Atlanta, Illinois - Photo Credit: Marsha Hindman

 

A while back, my brother-in-law asked me how I was adjusting to the mid-west weather and small town living again. 

 "I decided, no matter what, I'm going to find the beauty in every day", I answered. 

His reply, "Well then, don't look in the mirror, Shelly!"

LOL! 

Yep, gotta love 'Old Man River'.   He comes up with the best comebacks and can make you laugh at just about anything. Even yourself.

So today, as we started getting hit with freezing temps, gusting winds, icy rain and snow flurries, I saw the beauty in the snowy white scene outside and went to go look for some fun, white pearl earrings to wear today.

I came across these beauties in my jewelry box. 

 

These white, cascading Keshi Pearl earrings are the first piece of jewelry I ever had published in a jewelry magazine - BeadStyle Magazine - and I thought they were very appropriate for today. 

Just the way the snow is dancing and sparkling in the wind outside, these Keshi Pearl earrings will be dancing and sparkling on my shoulders, making today bright and sunny, even in the dead of winter! 

You can make your very own pair of these fun, flirty earrings and have a beautiful, winter-white day while still remaining warm and toasty!
 

Just hop on over to Kalmbach Publishing's Jewelry and Beading Store HERE and grab this tutorial and create a pair, or two!

And, created with white keshi pearls, this Keshi Necklace by Naomi Fujimoto would be the perfect one to pair with your newly created earrings!

 

Necklace by Naomi Fujimoto - BeadStyle Magazine

Until Next Time,
Peace, Love and Fun with Pearls!
Cheers,
~Shel~

Returning to the familiar,...

Quiet for quite some time now to work on 'work', I've been asked recently if I will be returning to jewelry making and designing with pearls and to updating the blog with pearl and jewelry information any time soon.

The answer to these questions are, "Yes". 

In response to the above, I've been asked a few times lately about pearls and the 'do's and don'ts' of designing with them and thought I'd reach back in the archives and give you one of the 'good ones'.

The original blog post is 'here', with even more Q and A's, but here's the answer to one of the most frequent questions I receive in regards to designing with pearls.

Q: Can I 'liver of sulfur' my finished wire work piece with my pearls, or do I have to oxidize my metal first and then create my piece?" 

Great question!  And, safety first here, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions on any solution(s) you are using whether it’s Liver of Sulfur, Silver Black, etc. and always wear protective eye gear.  

 

Here’s my answer:  You should not place your pearls or other porous gemstones (such as turquoise, etc.) or fragile beads (painted, AB coated crystals, etc.) into a solution of Liver of Sulfur.  
 

Technically, you should oxidize your metal (silver, copper, etc.) prior to working with or assembling your piece.
  

Now, have I ever placed my finished piece along with my pearls into a solution of Liver of Sulfur – yes.  
 

Should I have? No, not really.  
 

Why did I do it? Because I was lazy (just stating the truth here folks!) and I wanted to see what would happen to my pearls. 

(Granted, I didn’t do this with my ‘super-good’ pearls!!)

 

So, what happened? 
 

Well, my pearls came out just fine after about a 30 second dip in some LOS. Absolutely perfect. Not a problem at all. 
 

See?
 

Pearl, Turquoise and Sterling Silver Wire
Wrapped Pendant "Freya"
Before and After an LOS Solution Dip

Although, another time, when I left my pearls in some LOS solution for a couple of minutes, one of them had a dullness to their nacre that wasn’t there prior to the LOS dip and one time it even turned a white pearl a rather dull, gray color. 

It was hard to see right off the bat, but in certain lights you could tell it had lost its original white color and that something was a bit ‘off’. 

It's a bit hard to see here in this photo, but the pearl on the right has lost
a bit of it's beautiful luster. If I had a before and after pic, it would
probably be a lot easier to tell the difference.

 

So, if you have poor quality pearls with extremely thin nacre or chipped nacre (think large hole pearls that have chips around their holes, etc.) you will want to LOS your metal prior to assembling your jewelry if at all possible. If not, then a quick ‘dunk’ might be okay – but then it might not. So, ‘dunk’ at your own risk,…or well, at your pearl’s risk! 
 

A great alternative if you cannot oxidize your piece until it’s finished and you have stones in your design that you are afraid may be affected by a Liver of Sulfur solution is the eco-friendly, boiled egg method! 

 
*The highlighted link above takes you to Rena Klingenberg's site and also has a video!*

 

Yes, you can boil an egg, peel it, cut it in half and pop it in a seal-able plastic bag or plastic Tupperware type bowl, seal it up, and the sulfur in the egg yolks will eventually oxidize/blacken your piece without harming your stones/beads.  Now, this does take time,…20 minutes to 2 hours or more, it just depends on the eggs.  So, this is not for the impatient crafter, but it is a great alternative that doesn’t harm your beads/stones (at least none that I know of so far anyway). 
 

*One word of caution if you use Silver Black to blacken your work: don’t let it touch any of your pearls/beads/stones.  Or anything else for that matter – clothes, fingers, your desk, etc. - I’ve had it turn mine black,….well, dark gray/brownish. It wasn’t pretty. So if you’re just using a dab of Silver Black to blacken some stampings you’ve done on metal and you’re just touching it to one small area, that’s fine, just make sure you avoid all of your pearls, stones, beads, etc. 

Okay, so now you're ready to go and have a little 'blackening' fun with your silver and pearl designs, right?! 

Go ahead - be brave and have fun! 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Playing with Pearls!!  

Cheers,

~Shel~