Which pearl when? At the office.

Officewear in a corporate environment is not supposed to draw attention to your body. This is a formal environment where people are supposed to be employed for their knowledge and skill, not their physical attractiveness. Although we all know this isn't always true, it does mean the dress code tends to be conservative.

Bright colours, loud patterns, and clothes and jewellery that move when you do are best worn away from the office. The classic corporate outfit - the suit - is traditionally cut to create clean lines from the shoulders downwards; in the most conservative office the only interest in the outfit provided for men is by the tie, while women may wear a coloured blouse.

Pearls are perfect jewels for officewear, as they are usually in a neutral colour, have a beautiful understated lustre, and, frankly, if the morality of nineteenth century ettiquite allowed pearls to be worn during the day, you can't go too badly wrong.

Cultured South Sea pearls are no longer rare. They are produced in Australia, Indonesia, Fiji, Tahiti, and Myanmar. The farming process has been improved over decades, and the industry now produces a huge number of high quality pearls each year. This has lead to the recent high fashion re-interest in pearls, and their gradual shaking of the 'ladies who lunch' image. Although the classic round white pearl will probably always be the one most people think of, there are many other colours and shapes that can also reflect your personality and style.

                                           

A pair of round silver grey Tahititan earrings, a pair of Keshi silver grey Tahitian earrings, an antique natural pearl ring, and a triple strand of vintage Akoya pearls.
Both my pairs of Tahitian South Sea studs have a body colour of silver, and a slight overtone of pink. The spherical pair are cultured, they are the result of a seed being implanted in the oyster. The oyster treats this as an irritant and covers it with layers of nacre over a period typically of up to two years. The aim of this is to produce a large, round, smooth pearl.
The irregular pair are Keshi pearls. Keshi's are naturally occurring pearls within a farmed oyster. They cannot be sold as 'natural' pearls as this implies they were found in a wild oyster. Keshi's happen when the seed is rejected by the oyster, or a speck of sand, or some other tiny object gets in to the oyster, and the oyster covers it with nacre. Because the nacre is much thicker than on a seeded pearl, the lustre is quite different, and mine have an iridescent 'orient' over them. The lustre of a Keshi is very similar to the lustre of a natural pearl, as both of them are pure nacre.
The antique pearl ring shows the similarty of the lustre to the Keshi pearls.
I put together the triple strand of Akoya's from a double strand and a separate single strand. The colours don't match exactly, but I don't feel they need to. The lustre and size match, and they all have warm pinkish overtones, so I feel they sit well together.

Nineteenth Century Day Jewellery

'A lady is never so well dressed as when you cannot remember what she wears.'

The moral subject of jewellery appropriate to wear during the day came up over and over again in nineteenth century books and publications aimed at teaching young women style and etiquette. Young women in Europe and America were expected to want to get married and then manage their husband's households, staying out of the public sphere. Young men were expected to want 'modest' (whatever that means) and quiet wives, someone who would be happy to stay home and raise their children. Most if not all etiquette and household management books used moral arguments against wearing large or 'showy' jewellery during the day, and many were aimed at the growing 'middle' class, people who were the first generation in their family to have a disposable income, and who were nervous of disposing of it incorrectly.

The new possibility for people to start with very little and make their fortunes, regardless of family or connections, was a massive social change from previous centuries. The aristocratic/wealthy classes of the eighteenth century had assumed that family, connections, property, and power all came together, and always would. The famous 'gilded age' and Louis 14th jewellery show off wealth and splendour on an enormous scale.

With 'new money' gaining access to property and therefore power, 'good society' (old money) retreated behind a wall of 'good taste', so that admiring or displaying wealth for wealth's sake became frowned on. Jewellery worn in the 1800s was supposed to be either inherited from past generations, or gifted from close family. It was also supposed to be an expression of the young woman's 'artistic' nature and good morals, - pieces were meant to be prized for their design and workmanship over the size or cost of the materials. Having said that, the materials were always to be of the best quality, never imitation gemstones or plated metal. Imitation jewellery was always said to be in bad taste, as it appeared to be falsely advertising wealth and status. The fact that a woman might wear gold plated pieces because they were very well designed, or because she didn't want to spend so much money on jewellery, doesn't seem to have been considered.

  

Two images of women wearing day jewellery, on the left, Judge Mary Margaret Bartelme wearing a cameo brooch, and on the right, 'The Children's Holiday: portrait of Mrs Thomas Fairbain and her children', by William Holman Hunt 1864-5, showing Mrs Fairbairn wearing a coral brooch and earring set. 

Riches of Nature in Art - Sultan's wife drinking coffee - Charles Vanloo

Charles Vanloo
French 1705–65
Sultan's wife drinking coffee (1750s)
oil on canvas
120.0 х 127.0 cm
The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

I finally visited the NGV exhibition 'Masterpieces from the Hermitage' yesterday, and fell in love with the jewels in this beautiful painting, particularly the diamond earrings. A double pair of double rose cut diamonds? How could I resist? Here is a closer view - 

Apparently the sitter was Madame De Pompadour, so there is a good chance these earrings actually existed, as well as the matching diamond and pearl necklace. These earrings are the newest items on my jewellery wish list. Now I just have to find someone who still carries double rose cuts...

Birthstones - November - Golden Topaz and Citrine

Golden topaz and citrine are considered traditional birthstones for November. Both have a rich history through many cultures, although there is some historical confusion over which gemstone was actually being referred to by which name. While the stones share a rich, warm, yellow colouring, they are completely different materials. Citrine is quartz coloured yellow by iron, topaz is a silicate mineral. 
Names of gemstones have changed a lot over the centuries, and an historical lack of chemical knowledge means many stones have been known by different names, and some names have been lost completely over time. The writer C. W. King, considered one of the nineteenth century's most knowledgable men on jewellery, describes 'German Amethysts and Topaz's' as 'purple and yellow crystals of quartz.' (I don't believe he was confusing the two, I believe he was trying to clarify common terminology.)
This confusion over names is probably what lead to both gemstones being accepted as November's birthstone. The beautiful, warm hue of the stones would be a welcome gift in the Northern Hemisphere's winter, symbolising friendship, positivity, and the coming summer sun. The above stunning golden topaz suite, available from sjphillips.com, is a perfect illustration of this.

The name Topaz originates with Pliny the Elder, when he wrote about an island called Topazios and the gemstones mined there, although he is now thought to have been referring to what we now call Peridots. A gem this ancient and beautiful has of course acquired many traditions and superstitions, most of them regarding its talismanic qualities. A topaz carved with a falcon and worn as a ring, according to George Frederick Kunz, will allow the wearer to 'acquire the good-will of kings, princes, and magnates.'
From the same book on the 'Curious lore of precious stones' there are references to topaz's assisting 'the ardent contemplation of the prophesies'. In another book by the same author, we are told that topaz has the ability to quench thirst.

The name citrine has only been reliably used to describe yellow quartz since about 1900. Before then it may have been known by the French 'citron', or as Burnt or Smoky Topaz. 
Citrine from Scotland is named Cairngorm, after the mountains in which it is found. Scottish jewellery became very popular in the Victorian period, helped by Queen Victoria's love of what is often called 'pebble jewellery', large striking compositions of agate, amethyst, and Cairngorms. Very unusually for the time, Cairngorms are often set in silver. Traditional colour theories teach that this colour combination of cool white metal and warm transparent gemstone was not appealing, however, this almost uniquely Scottish pairing proves them wrong. I found this very dramatic example (now sold) at Lang Antiques.

These days, citrine is easily found in jewellery quality stones up to 20cts, making it perfect for large statement pieces such as pendants and cocktail rings. It is also very durable as it has no cleavage plane, so will take a knock better than Topaz will. Of course always be careful with your precious jewellery, nothing is invincible.