Pearls in Splendor – Introducing the Newest Design
“As always, bringing the old into the new, interpreting the beauty of nature’s timeless treasures.”
-Claudia Ender
Often called the Queen of Gems, the pearl is a gemstone like no other. Worn as adornment since ancient times, used to signal great wealth and power, considered the original gemstone of the ages, pearls have occupied a meaningful place in the human record since we began foraging for food along the seashore.
The only naturally occurring precious gem created by a living organism, each pearl is entirely unique – a treasure created by just 1 in a thousand oysters in the wild. While they are now farmed in large quantities, Ama pearl divers still plunge into the cold waters off Japan’s eastern coast, prying them from the shell in a single breath.
Just as pearls have a long history, these have made their own journey – starting with my great aunt who gave them to my aunt, who recently gave them to me. While I never had the chance to know my great aunt, I think we probably had a lot in common.
I’ve often wondered about her life and now I imagine her wearing these pearls…all the occasions she may have worn them to… out to dinner, to the theater, to a wedding. Perhaps reserved only for special occasions, or was she the kind to wear them while gardening or going to the grocery store? They are indeed lovely and the photos I have tell me she often wore them layered.
The thing that fascinates me most about them is their “mystery clasp,” a design achieved by fitting a single pearl with a screw and nut on opposing sides so they could be worn layered or as a single long strand. I decided to create my own clasp fitted with the mystery lock so I could wear them with or without an element, as one strand, or as two.
I am thrilled to share my new design, the CED Trumpet Mystery Clasp – available in gold, gold with diamond/gemstone pave, and also in sterling silver with black rhodium silver. Very secure, these clasps will keep your pearls in place and can even be interchanged with other strands that are fitted with matching locks.
If you’d like to learn more about converting your pearls or gemstone strands to a mystery lock, or buy a new strand, let’s talk!
xoxo
