3 pearls
May 7, 2010 1:25 PM Subscribe
An older family member has given me 3 pearls that have great meaning to her and asked me to have them made into jewelry to be given to another family member (a 22-year-old woman). What form of jewelry should I have made? Any tips on how to deal with local jewelers to get something that will yield a beautiful and valued gift?
A set of pearl earrings and a pearl-drop necklace is classic. If you go to the mall you'll see many different styles to choose from.
Find out first whether the giftee prefers gold or silver jewelry.
posted by gabrielsamoza at 1:34 PM on May 7, 2010 [3 favorites]
Find out first whether the giftee prefers gold or silver jewelry.
posted by gabrielsamoza at 1:34 PM on May 7, 2010 [3 favorites]
I've had experience working with jewelers to make custom jewelry. A smaller, longstanding, family-owned business is more likely to be able to help than a chain. Jewelers can draw your ideas (or their own) and make wax mold prototypes if appropriate.
Having said that, I think something simple--like a pendant with the 3 pearls set in a vertical row--would have the best chance of actually being worn, and of being treasured by this woman throughout the various stages of her life.
Rings are tough for pearls because hands inadvertently bump into walls, chairs, etc and the pearls can get chipped. Also, a lot of handwashing with a pearl ring on might affect the pearl's lustre.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 1:36 PM on May 7, 2010 [5 favorites]
Having said that, I think something simple--like a pendant with the 3 pearls set in a vertical row--would have the best chance of actually being worn, and of being treasured by this woman throughout the various stages of her life.
Rings are tough for pearls because hands inadvertently bump into walls, chairs, etc and the pearls can get chipped. Also, a lot of handwashing with a pearl ring on might affect the pearl's lustre.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 1:36 PM on May 7, 2010 [5 favorites]
A pendant would be good - you don't have to worry about it fitting around a finger or a neck, and the recipient could vary the chain depending on her style, however it changes throughout her life.
I don't know if there's a way to work the meaning into the piece, but if you are working with a creative person, you might want to tell him or her the story behind the pearls.
Like the previous poster, I've seen three pearls set in a pod like this or this...
and also seen on Etsy, this nest is very cute.
posted by beyond_pink at 1:39 PM on May 7, 2010
I don't know if there's a way to work the meaning into the piece, but if you are working with a creative person, you might want to tell him or her the story behind the pearls.
Like the previous poster, I've seen three pearls set in a pod like this or this...
and also seen on Etsy, this nest is very cute.
posted by beyond_pink at 1:39 PM on May 7, 2010
Find a nice, small, local jeweler, and ask them for advice. (Let them know, too, what your budget is.) If the pearls are similarly sized (two of them, anyhow), a pair of earrings and a necklace are classic, but it's a good idea to discuss the custom jewelry you are having made with the actual person who will be receiving them (unless you know her style very well -- which you don't).
posted by jeather at 1:40 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by jeather at 1:40 PM on May 7, 2010
Nthing everything ImproviseOrDie said. Also, earrings get lost, and never together! I find that pearl earrings (studs), even fake costume ones, tend to make their way out of the ear. Many times I've told a woman, "hey, you're losing your [pearl stud] earring." Not another type, though. Lever-back pearl earrings would be wonderful.
posted by jgirl at 1:43 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by jgirl at 1:43 PM on May 7, 2010
Perhaps an add-a-pearl style necklace?
Barring that, I think the pearl earrings with a single pearl drop would be lovely and very likely to be worn. You don't say if the three pearls are identical; if they are not, an add-a-pearl style, or a stacked drop would probably better take advantage of variety in size.
Nthing, though, to go to a longstanding family shop rather than any place that looks like a mall chain--you'll get better customer service and they'll know how to work with you to create something lovely (and how to talk you out of something garish. I know from experience on the latter, having been gifted with a stone and having been wisely talked out of the initial setting I considered for it).
posted by devinemissk at 2:05 PM on May 7, 2010
Barring that, I think the pearl earrings with a single pearl drop would be lovely and very likely to be worn. You don't say if the three pearls are identical; if they are not, an add-a-pearl style, or a stacked drop would probably better take advantage of variety in size.
Nthing, though, to go to a longstanding family shop rather than any place that looks like a mall chain--you'll get better customer service and they'll know how to work with you to create something lovely (and how to talk you out of something garish. I know from experience on the latter, having been gifted with a stone and having been wisely talked out of the initial setting I considered for it).
posted by devinemissk at 2:05 PM on May 7, 2010
Is there some reason you can't consult with the recipient and get her input on the type of jewelry she might like?
posted by Joleta at 2:10 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by Joleta at 2:10 PM on May 7, 2010
I think all the people suggesting pearl pendants have very good reasoning. If, however, you do like the idea of earrings, I got a pair like this for my college graduation, and I wear them nonstop. Pearls can get a little June Cleaver, but this setting kept them modern. Maybe the third pearl could make a matching pendant?
No matter what you do, I'm sure this will be a really special gift.
posted by chatongriffes at 2:13 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
No matter what you do, I'm sure this will be a really special gift.
posted by chatongriffes at 2:13 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
Drill 'em and string 'em. Really, three pearls on a long, simple gold chain is absolutely lovely.
Other option, more contemporary, is something like this. (I do love that.)
Anyone on Etsy who has a high rating and does custom work can do this for you, but it's really very straight forward and any local jeweller will be happy to work with you.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:56 PM on May 7, 2010
Other option, more contemporary, is something like this. (I do love that.)
Anyone on Etsy who has a high rating and does custom work can do this for you, but it's really very straight forward and any local jeweller will be happy to work with you.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:56 PM on May 7, 2010
No offense, anybody, but a lot of the jewelry linked to here looks cheap to me. If these are great-aunt Ruth's pearls from her 16th birthday or something, please take into account their history and the fact that ideally, the piece they'd be made into would be something the recipient would treasure for life.
posted by runningwithscissors at 3:40 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by runningwithscissors at 3:40 PM on May 7, 2010
I would get them mounted in a metal setting as a pendant. Earrings can get lost, and are you sure the recipient has pierced ears? A pendant, as many others have said, is classic, and more likely to keep the pearls safe. Also, do you know if she likes white metal or gold-toned metal? Best to check, else she'll never wear it if it's not the right one.
posted by limeonaire at 3:58 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by limeonaire at 3:58 PM on May 7, 2010
As others have suggested, I would go simple and classic. Plain stud pearl earrings will work for countless occasions through the giftee's life, and will never look dated or out of fashion. They might look June Cleaver if they're paired with a twinset, but if she wears them with a little black dress they will only look elegant. A matching simple pearl necklace like this one (but with a nicer chain) would be something that she could either wear every day, or save for special occasions to wear with the earrings.
posted by ukdanae at 5:10 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by ukdanae at 5:10 PM on May 7, 2010
Definitely check whether she prefers gold or silver -- most people will only wear one or the other!
posted by kestrel251 at 5:56 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by kestrel251 at 5:56 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
Is it absolutely impossible to consult her? Maybe talk to a jeweler ahead of time, and price out several options for a 3-pearl pendant, or a set of stud earrings and a single pendant. Then present the recipient with the three pearls in a jewelry box, maybe with drawings or a print-out of the inspirations, and tell her that you'd like her help with the final decision. Jewelry is so particular, and this is an amazing opportunity to have heirloom gems in a setting of her own choice. That itself is a *rare* gift and unless you know her taste perfectly, why waste that gift (of designing the perfect setting) on a guess?
Out of all the options here, and others on Tiffany's, Birks, etc., I know exactly which settings my sister or mom or best friend would like. None of them would be the same setting, and those three women have remarkably similar style.
Of course she will love whatever you give her -- it's a family heirloom, updated for her own use. But if you can, give her the gift of jewelry that is designed to her own individual style too!
posted by barnone at 6:34 PM on May 7, 2010
Out of all the options here, and others on Tiffany's, Birks, etc., I know exactly which settings my sister or mom or best friend would like. None of them would be the same setting, and those three women have remarkably similar style.
Of course she will love whatever you give her -- it's a family heirloom, updated for her own use. But if you can, give her the gift of jewelry that is designed to her own individual style too!
posted by barnone at 6:34 PM on May 7, 2010
Because pearls are relatively fragile (compared to other gems), it's better to avoid rings. Necklaces or earrings are better. (The points raised above about losing earrings are worth paying attention too, as well.)
posted by Lexica at 8:45 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by Lexica at 8:45 PM on May 7, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! These are loose pearls that were bought in the mid-1960s by the family patriarch when he was traveling on business in Japan. The family matriarch has been handing family members individual pearls for many years, and these are the last 6 pearls, for me and for the young woman.
The matriarch wants me to have them made into jewelry for a gift for the young woman, and a surprise is appropriate, so I don't want to consult her. I want to make everyone happy with a demonstration of good taste and the work all having been completed.
I think something simple would be best, and the advice against a ring (and, I infer, a bracelet) is really helpful. The young woman likes both silver and gold and mixes them. I'm thinking either of going with the earrings and pendant combination or maybe putting the 3 pearls spaced about a half inch apart in the center of a necklace chain. I like the idea of drop earrings or studs.
I'm thinking I could do 2 different things and wear one when I'm given the present, then, if she prefers mine, trading.
posted by Alizaria at 8:45 PM on May 7, 2010
The matriarch wants me to have them made into jewelry for a gift for the young woman, and a surprise is appropriate, so I don't want to consult her. I want to make everyone happy with a demonstration of good taste and the work all having been completed.
I think something simple would be best, and the advice against a ring (and, I infer, a bracelet) is really helpful. The young woman likes both silver and gold and mixes them. I'm thinking either of going with the earrings and pendant combination or maybe putting the 3 pearls spaced about a half inch apart in the center of a necklace chain. I like the idea of drop earrings or studs.
I'm thinking I could do 2 different things and wear one when I'm given the present, then, if she prefers mine, trading.
posted by Alizaria at 8:45 PM on May 7, 2010
Response by poster: By the way, I've been looking at photographs of work done by local jewelry designers and nearly all of it looks bad to me. These designers seem to specialize in wedding and engagement rings, and it is not good. I'd like to end up with something that looks like it came from Tiffany's.
posted by Alizaria at 8:50 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by Alizaria at 8:50 PM on May 7, 2010
Is there a university with an art department near you? Chances are, there's a jewelry and metals instructor/professor. That individual wouldn't necessarily be as commercial as some of the local designers that you've been looking at. They would most certainly know their craft. You could potentially commission something elegant and creative.
posted by kittenplease at 9:51 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by kittenplease at 9:51 PM on May 7, 2010
You might consider keeping the matriarch's tradition, and passing down the pearls to other females in the family when they reach a certain age. Since styles change, if you wanted to do this you'd keep in mind that drilling and prong/glue settings alter the pearls permanently, thus limiting future choices. To keep from doing that, you can get a cage setting for pendant/earrings. Here are some examples:
Cube
Wavy rectangle
Round
Organic swirl
Egg
posted by Houstonian at 11:23 AM on May 8, 2010
Cube
Wavy rectangle
Round
Organic swirl
Egg
posted by Houstonian at 11:23 AM on May 8, 2010
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posted by davextreme at 1:34 PM on May 7, 2010