Pearl Jewellery
A mabe pearl does not sit in a perfect circle.
So I grind the bezel down until it follows the contour of that particular pearl. It takes longer than a round setting and it never comes out quite symmetrical. That unevenness is the part I love. Every one of these is set by hand at my bench in Sechelt, on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.
Perfectly round pearls are lovely but baroque pearls steal my heart. And I'll never say no to a mabe pearl.
Mikel Grant
Which pearls do you reach for?
Not the uniform strand. I pick for shape first, then colour, and the ones that keep catching me are the pearls that grew a little sideways.
- Baroque Irregular and never repeatable. A matching pair takes hunting.
- Mabe Large and domed. The ones whose bezels I grind down by hand.
- Coin Flat and wide, so they sit close against the skin.
- Keshi and stick Small, odd and all nacre. The most lustre for their size.
- Edison and Tahitian Where the colour comes from. Lilac, pink, grey, peacock.
If you want to know what actually makes a keshi a keshi, I wrote a full guide to pearl types.
Why are the bezels not perfectly round?
Because the pearls are not. A round bezel around an uneven pearl leaves a gap on one side, so I file the bezel down to follow the shape it is actually holding. You can see it if you look closely at the larger mabe pieces, and it is the reason no two of those settings are identical.
Pearls here are set in sterling silver, 14k gold fill and solid 14k gold. All of my silver ear wires are Argentium, a nickel-free silver alloy that also resists tarnish far better than ordinary sterling.
What if the piece I want has sold?
Most pieces here are one of a kind, so when one is gone it is gone. But pearls are the one place I can often come close, because I keep loose ones in a drawer and a shape can usually be matched even when a piece cannot be repeated. I do take commissions, though only in my own style. Tell me what you have in mind.
Pearl questions
How do I care for pearl jewellery?
Pearls are softer than almost anything else I set, and the nacre is easily dulled. Put them on last, after perfume and hairspray, and take them off first. Wipe them with a soft damp cloth rather than any cleaner, and store them away from harder stones that will scratch them. Worn often and treated gently, they hold their lustre for decades.
Why are some of your pearls not white?
Because those are the ones I keep buying. Edison pearls come in lilac, pink and deep plum, Tahitians run grey through peacock green, and none of it is dyed. A white strand is a lovely thing and it is not what I reach for.
Can I wear pearls every day?
Yes, and they are better for it. Pearls do not like being shut in a box for years. What they do not like is knocking against hard surfaces, so I would keep a pearl ring off while gardening or washing up. Earrings and necklaces are the easiest to wear daily, which is part of why I make so many of them.
