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Handcrafted Jewellery Anne Carson Design

~ blog from Vancouver

Handcrafted Jewellery Anne Carson Design

Category Archives: Pearls

In praise of versatile pearls

05 Thursday Aug 2021

Posted by annecarsondesign in Pearls, Weddings

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Canadian royalty, Grand Duchess Olga, pearls, pearls are forever

A smashing rope of pearls with a baroque pearl pendant caught my eye while perusing the news. It turned out to belong to a Romanov grand duchess, who escaped the Russian revolution with the help of her jewel box. According to a fascinating story in the National Post, Olga Alexandrovna, sister of Tsar Nicholas, lived out her last days in Canada, on an Ontario farm, courtesy of that string of pearls. (And many others like it, I’ll wager.)

Her pearls give the term investment dressing a whole new meaning.

Will you look at those pearls!

I’ve said it before; I’ll say it again: pearls are the best buy when building a jewellery wardrobe. You’ll wear them over and over again, all your life: from your wedding, to your business meetings, to parties, to your children’s soccer game. And they’ll still look good on you at your great-grandchildren’s recitals. And let’s not forge that your heirs will be delighted to be reminded of you, generations from now, when the pearls’ timeless beauty will still be fashionable.

Bonus: if worst comes to worst, they’re easy to carry when you’re fleeing the country.

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Earrings fit for a thrifty duchess

05 Tuesday Dec 2017

Posted by annecarsondesign in earrings, gifts, Pearls

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kate middleton, pearl drop earrings, thrifty duchess

The conversation began as my phone conversations with one particular friend often do: with no preamble.

“Hello! I’m looking for a pair of pearl drop earrings like the ones that thrifty duchess always wears,” she said, in lieu of “hello, how are you.”

What earrings? Which duchess? And since when are duchesses thrifty….?

It turns out my sharp-eyed pal had spotted something that might be surprising to anyone who has never owned pearl drops. The former Kate Middleton has been wearing a pair of beautiful white baroque pearls to every kind of event for years now. The same earrings, over and over again, despite the fact her husband is in line for the throne.

ACD-P-KateMiddleton

Maybe that’s a sign of thrift? Or maybe it’s because they’re so flattering and go with absolutely everything that they’ve become her go-to earrings.

Pearl drops are ageless and timeless so it’s not unusual to have a pair in your wardrobe for life. They’re lovely on everyone from a 70something Helen Mirren to a teenage Taylor Swift.

ACD-p-helenMirren

acd-p-taylorswift

And for a working woman who wants earrings that are elegant without being too fussy, a substantial white baroque pearl is just the thing for collecting an Oscar…

acd-p-gracekelly

… or sitting for a portrait

acd-p-girlwithpearl

A rope of freshwater pearls may well be worth a king’s ransom, but just two high quality complexion-flattering pearls won’t break the bank.

Is it any wonder pearl drops have been everyone’s favourite earring for centuries?

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Small victories & Suffragette earrings

08 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by annecarsondesign in amethysts, Pearls

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suffragette jewellery, White baroque pearls

“Yes!” I cried, as I practically pounced on a string of green tourmaline slices.

I suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. Had I knocked anyone over in my race to grab the elusive green stones? Would there soon be warning signs posted around the Tucson Gem Show preparing merchants for some overzealous customer: “Beware: Woman, 5’8”, auburn hair, crazed look in her eyes, salivates at sight of green tourmaline”

In my defence, I’ve been hunting for months for more of these tiny green sticks, in the hope that I could continue making one of my most popular designs: the Suffragette earrings.

ACD-E-Suffragettes

Those are white baroque pearls topped with a tutu of green tourmaline and amethyst.

Last year, I happened to read about Suffragette jewellery. In the Edwardian era, the lobbyists wove their campaign colours – purple for dignity, white for purity, and green for hope – into everything. These women were flying their colours in the jewellery and ribbons they wore, as well as on the signs and pamphlets they carried.

I thought it was a wonderful idea – subtly subversive — and it immediately inspired my own Suffragette pieces. There’s also a pendant.

ACD-N-SuffragettePendant

I was delighted when they turned out to be a hit, too. That is until I ran out of green tourmaline slices.

Here’s the hazard of working with natural gemstones. I travel to trade shows and buy the pearls and semi-precious stones that inspire me. The stones themselves suggest the designs, so sometimes I don’t know exactly what I’m going to make with them until I start playing around at my workbench.

But when that vein of a mine is tapped out, a stone is gone. So it’s not always possible to find high quality gems cut just the way you want for a particular design. I kicked myself for not buying more green tourmaline when I saw it. But how was I to anticipate that I was going to go all Emmeline Pankhurst this year?

So I made some variations on the earrings. I think they’re lovely too.

ACD-E-BaroquePearlIolite

It’s a similar look with iridescent peacock pearls. The baroque pearls are crowned with sticks of amethyst, cubic zirconia, and iolite, which reflect the shades of purple and lavender in the iridescent pearls.

But for clients who wanted Suffragette colours, it’s just not the same.

So now you see why I’m gleeful at the sight of those tourmaline slices I found in Tucson. It’s pure luck that I found them too. There are literally acres of merchants selling gems in Tucson.

All of which is to say, if you wanted Suffragette earrings, or a pendant, and were disappointed when I couldn’t supply them, I’m back in the subversive earrings business.

ACD-E-Suffragettes

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May 4 is Audrey Hepburn Day

04 Monday May 2015

Posted by annecarsondesign in Audrey Hepburn Day, Pearls, Screen Inspirations

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Audrey Hepburn, Elegant necklaces, pearls, Screen Inspirations, Two Bossy Dames

ACD-Audrey-google

It’s Audrey Hepburn Day. No, that’s not official. But today, May 4, is Hepburn’s birthday and in 2014, on what would have been her 85th, she got her very own Google Doodle. Now a Vancouver film critic named John Lekich is proposing we declare it her day permanently. And no less an authority than the Two Bossy Dames are calling today #MayTheAudrey in Twitter.

I’m in!

Not least because no one wore pearls quite like Audrey.

ACD-Audrey-Necklace1

I saw Breakfast at Tiffany’s for the first time when I was about 15 and I remember thinking, “Why does no one make necklaces like that any more?”

Of course, I completely overlooked what she did to pay for those pearls. But the idea of bold, beautiful statement necklaces stayed with me, and years later I began designing them myself.

My sons might disagree, but I think Audrey film lovers have at least as much claim on the day as the Star Wars fanatics. Although they do have the best pun – May the 4th Be With You.

And I particularly like Mr. Lekich’s proposal for how we should celebrate Audrey Hepburn Day. By going window shopping at lunch, buying flowers, and being extra kind to everyone.

That’s a fine idea.

ACD-Audrey-quote

I would add that today we should wear pearls. But then, I always think that.

~ Anne

AnnePearls

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And the winner is…

25 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by annecarsondesign in Pearls, Trunk show

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pearls

The door prize for the October trunk show was a pair of my classic pearl earrings.

ACD-Ear-PearlPrize

And they went to Cheryl, in Calgary. (Yes, of course people fly in just for my trunk shows!)

These pearls are everybody’s favourite go-to earring on those mornings when making one more decision seems just too hard. They go with everything, but they have more pizzazz than a stud.

I make pearl drops in a variety of shades from classic whites and pale blush pinks to distinctive dark chocolate pearls in unusual shapes. And I have a few customers who have a pair in every colour. They’re probably my single most popular gift item too, since it’s rare to find a woman who never wears pearls.

ACD-Ear-BaroquePearlDark

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Hot blog alert

06 Wednesday Aug 2014

Posted by annecarsondesign in Inspirations from the Screen, Pearls

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Who says my TV watching habit is a waste of time?

It just led me to actress Meghan Markle’s lifestyle blog, The Tig, which shows she is just as stylish as her Suits character Rachel.

rachel-zane-outfit-suits

I’m interested in how costuming reflects character, and there’s a great piece about costume designer Jolie Andreatta, who styles the fabulously soapy Suits. As any fan of the show can tell you, Andreatta’s clothes don’t just hint at who the characters are, they help tell the story.

Andreatta outlines how she dresses the characters, describing Gina Torres (the senior partner clad in couture) as her masterpiece — and it’s not hard to see why.

“Suits are like medieval suits of armor,” Andreatta told Entertainment Weekly. “[They] tell us who the person is, what kind of background they [come from], what kind of status they have.”

The show itself is pure fantasy. The premise is that Mike, played by Canadian actor Patrick J. Adams, is a university dropout with a photographic memory that lets him earn easy money by taking the bar exam for lazy law school grads. Through a variety of coincidences he meets a maverick corporate lawyer, played by Gabriel Macht, who likes breaking the rules for fun. Before you can say caveat emptor Mike is installed as an associate at a high-powered New York law firm. Hijinx ensue.

Macht cuts a dashing, romantic figure dressed in glorious Tom Ford. And as Mike, the unlicensed lawyer, grows more confident so does his wardrobe. His ties get wider; his suits more classic — he’s often seen in Burberry. That’s also true of the paralegal played by Markle, in a wardrobe of pencil skirts, cashmere sweaters, and classic coats by everyone from Valentino and Prada to Burberry.

Harvey&Mike

While we’re on the subject, Markle’s blog is great fun too. A cut above the sort of thing Hollywood actresses seem to be churning out in droves these days. And because Suits is shot in Toronto, many of her food, travel, and fashion finds can be found in-and-around Hogtown.

It’s the perfect hit of style between Suits seasons.

ACD-Greypearls

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Jean Quest

30 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by annecarsondesign in Pearls

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I’m on the hunt for wide-legged jeans. I like the elegant, slouchy look made famous by Katharine Hepburn in the 1930s, and it seems just the thing for summer, paired with a white T-shirt and a couple of strands of pearls.

Image

 

As for the skinny jeans that have held all our wardrobes in vice-like grip for years: it was fun, now it’s done. Or so I think. Vogue and the occasional fashion blogger agree with me — hello, Roslyn Costanzo at Style Forage!

But the retailers are thwarting me at every turn. Where-oh-where are women finding those nice wide-legged denims I see on Vancouver streets now and then?

I suppose I could just accost the strangers wearing them and demand their shopping secrets?

Hmmm… on second thought, there might be some problems with that strategy.

If you find some secreted away somewhere, please let me know.

 

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Recent Posts

  • In praise of versatile pearls
  • Theodora inspired by 1930s mannequin
  • Shop closed until October 2, 2019
  • Daring to be creative, while aging
  • Meet my new friend LeslieJane

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