How I fell in love with pearls, by Sandra Giner
Sometimes, deep affection only develops after deeply engaging with another person or an object. This is exactly what happened to me with pearls, and my love of pearls has only grown since then.
But it was not love at first sight. At first, I was annoyed that my gemstone teacher had burdened me with a project about pearls during my goldsmith training. Probably because pearl jewelry always seemed to be something very old ladies would wear, and I had never taken a closer look at them in my rebellious youth.
I worked on that project for half a year, and over time, the pearls worked their magic on me.
Immediately after passing the goldsmith’s examination, I was allowed to craft my first piece of pearl jewelry.
I was asked to fashion a two-row Akoya pearl necklace with a handmade pearl clasp for a lawyer’s wife.
The clasp was accentuated by a gorgeous blue lapis lazuli in which the family’s coat of arms was to be engraved.
When the young woman in fashionably sporty attire came in for a fitting, my old prejudice was fully laid to rest. The beautiful pearl jewelry complemented her look perfectly – simply stunning!
My love for pearls burns bright to this very day.
