SHOP discerning pearl jewelry designed by women with a splash of science!
The QUEEN OF GEMS is not a gem at all, but the luminous result of a mollusk protecting itself from an irritant!
Freshwater and saltwater pearls can be a wonderful diversity of colors, shapes, and sizes. While both are beautiful, saltwater pearls are more valuable because of their rarity!
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PEARL JEWELRY
What is the difference between CULTURED pearls and NATURAL pearls?
Cultured pearls are the result of human intervention, by way of a “nucleus” (often freshwater mussel shell) surrounded by “mantle tissue” (soft body tissue of another mollusk) being inserted into the reproductive organ of the host mollusk.
Natural pearls are those that naturally occur in the wild. Because of their rarity, they have a greater market value. Our focus is cultured pearls.
The practice of cultured pearls is thought to have begun in ancient China. It was a lost art until Kokichi Mikimoto began experimenting with farming methods in 1890. By 1916, the production of cultured Akoya was in full swing - creating a bustling industry and pearl fever the world over.
What COLORS can pearls be?
Get The Skinny on Pearl to find out - as well as important wear and care considerations for this very soft gemstone!
SHOP ORNELLA IANNUZZI’s JEWELRY INSPIRED BY CORAL REEFS
WHAT DOES RESPONSIBLY SOURCED JEWELRY MEAN?
The jewelry you discover here is discerning because of the unique design signature and the careful consideration of the materials selected.
Just like we know where our food is from and who made our clothes, why not jewelry?
Responsible sourcing goes beyond ethically or sustainably sourced. This encompasses conflict-free, traceability, protecting people, their skills, and the environment be it land or sea. This is an open, evolving conversation worth having, as we all seek to make choices that align with our values.
As much as possible, the designers in this community do their best to choose jewelry “ingredients” that honor this.
Gemstones can be responsibly sourced or post-consumer recycled (recovered from previously worn jewelry to be reset in a new design).
For precious metals, this can mean using recycled gold - or a step further is mercury-free Fairmined gold.
An ongoing initiative worth following is the Jewelry Glossary Project.
The purpose is to create shared definitions of key terms within the jewelry industry for use by the trade and the public. The project was launched to increase transparency throughout the supply chain, by building consensus on definitions for key terms and creating accountability for their usage.