Thursday, 21 May 2015 15:18

Standards of Excellence

Rate this item
(0 votes)

Creating pearls is a fascinating process that requires much time and dedication. The oyster bed is a natural habitat that must be painstakingly nurtured before a pearl can even be conceived. The cultivation process begins with a core. In natural pearls, this is simply a fragment of shell, fishbone or sand that floats into the shell of pearl oyster.

 

To protect itself from this irritant, the oyster secretes thousands of layers of nacre, forming a pearl. In 1893, after years of painstaking efforts, Kokichi Mikimoto succeeded in duplicating this natural process by implanting a nucleus (core). The method he developed is still used by Mikimoto today to form beautiful, lustrous pearls.

Mikimoto introduces Four Seasons, a special collection of one-of-a-kind pieces that evoke the brilliance and beauty of nature.

The summer ring and earrings, featuring White South Sea cultured pearls and diamonds, are distinct in that they are designed to capture the duality of the season. Warm-colored gemstones, in pink, orange and yellow sapphires, convey a sun-drenched paradise on one side of the ring, while vibrant blue sapphires convey the frothy coolness found at the breezy coast. The contrasting story even extends to the earrings - the right featuring the fiery-colored gems to complement the cool-colored stones on the left.

18mm White South Sea cultured pearls with 0.29ct diamonds, 0.27ct yellow sapphires, 1.15ct orange sapphires, 1.21ct pink sapphires, 2.53ct blue sapphires.