ackie Kennedy liked to say that “pearls are always appropriate”, a statement which has never seemed truer than now. Pearl jewellery is back, and from the simple family jewel to the most artistic interpretations is now part of everyone’s experience thanks to the influence of emerging designers, but also thanks to the importance that the big jewellery and fashion houses are placing on this precious material.

Ida Faerber, ‘treasure hunter’ and director of the Faerber Collection in Geneva, reminds us that “this precious stone has always been worn down the centuries by celebrities and thanks to its iconographic representation the consumer is constantly reminded of its value and elegance. This is why the recurring images of Queen Elizabeth wearing five rows of pearls rapidly became a reference for timeless fashion, chic and elegance. It’s the same with fashion shows, where you see models adorned with pearl necklaces. Today, this kind of image quickly goes viral on the social media, creating trends that influence the young generation especially. Pearls are no long associated with the 1980s style of the old bourgeoisie; they’ve become a timeless, chic accessory which also appeals to a masculine audience.”

Boghossian conch, clam pearl and diamond earrings

The first pearl-gathering centres were established on the shores of India, Sri Lanka, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea around 5000 BCE. It was in ancient Persia that the first legends grew up around pearls, which in the western world became a trading currency circa 2000 BCE. The oldest remains of pearl jewels were found in the sarcophagus of a Persian princess who died in 520 BCE.

Cleopatra’s pearls

In the first century CE, the historian Pliny the Elder reports that “the two largest pearls in all history belonged to Cleopatra, who had received them from the hands of western kings”. In the Byzantine Empire, only the nobility were authorised to wear pearl jewellery, while among the Mayas and the Aztecs, peoples known for their great love of pearls, black pearls were used first and foremost. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, pearls took on religious meaning and were incorporated into decorative crucifixes.

Melanie Georgacopoulos, Full Circle necklace, Statement collection

Royal portraits of the Tudor dynasty depict numerous pearl jewels and especially dresses adorned with pearls. Anne Boleyn’s necklace is famous and has been imitated by many jewellers throughout history. It is made up of a letter B-shaped pendant on a necklace of natural pearls with three tear-shaped natural pearls hanging from it.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Around 1665, Johannes Vermeer painted perhaps the most famous jewel in the history of art: in Girl with a Pearl Earring, the protagonist wears a valuable earring with a large, tear-shaped pearl reflecting the light. The jewel is painted with just two strokes of the brush, one separate from the other; our eyes create the illusion of seeing the entire pearl.

Tiffany & Co. Bird on a Pearl high jewellery capsule collection, 2025

Natural pearls have been used for centuries. “For a long time, it was believed that a pearl formed as a means of defence against a foreign body that had entered a nacreous mollusc. However, scientific studies have shown that this is not the case. Pearls are a kind of concretion created by the mantle of the mollusc in response to damage by a worm or by a bite. The function of each cell in this mantle is to protect it. When it becomes damaged or torn, it begins to roll up and continues to secrete shell matter. The result of this process is a fine pearl,” explains Ronny Totah, an antique jewellery merchant and co-founder of GemGenève. From 1893, with the introduction of Mikimoto cultured pearls in Japan, pearls became more affordable and gradually entered the world of fashion.

Audrey Hepburn’s pearls up for auction

Classic pearl jewellery has always found favour with style icons. Gabrielle Chanel liked to mix faux and cultured pearls to create stylish looks. Marilyn Monroe was given a Mikimoto Akoya pearl necklace by her then husband, Joe Di Maggio. Audrey Hepburn wore four rows of pearls in a scene from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and the famous Fürst necklace in white gold, composed of two rows of cultured pearls set with sapphires and diamonds in a star pattern, which she wore in the 1953 film Roman Holiday, was put up for auction at Christie’s in November 2023.

Yana Nesper Appassionata earrings

Jackie Kennedy’s triple-strand pearl necklace has also gone down in history. She wore pearls at her wedding in 1953 and it would be hard to find an official photo in which the First Lady of the United States isn’t wearing pearls. This type of necklace occupies an important place in the history of jewellery. Think of Madonna in the Like a Virgin video, shot in the Venetian Lagoon, in which the singer plays provocatively with rows and rows of black and white pearls.

The British monarchy has made intensive use of pearl jewellery over the centuries. The image of Princess Diana in her “revenge dress” and a choker of seven strands of pearls adorned with a cabochon sapphire as its central stone has imprinted itself on the collective memory.

Pearls aplenty on the red carpet

These are exciting times for pearls which, while conserving their classic codes, are taking on new values and a new identity. Over the past couple of years, pearls have been given a modern makeover and made a high-profile return to red carpets and runways.

The contemporary pearl necklace expresses creativity and fresh energy, and is favoured by women and men. Harry Styles came to the 2019 Met Gala sporting a single drop pearl earring, reminiscent of the English privateer, writer and politician, Sir Walter Raleigh, and has since been seen rocking a string of pearls.

Cate Blanchett wears custom Louis Vuitton High Jewellery to the premiere of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice at the opening ceremony of the 81st Venice International Film Festival.

At the last Cannes Film Festival, Cate Blanchett wore a shoulder necklace composed of 49 white Akoya pearls and 33 Tahiti pearls in metallic grey. Designed by Francesca Amfitheatrof, artistic director for jewellery at Louis Vuitton, this creation is the company’s third collaboration with the actress, who has already worn pearl jewellery designed for her by Louis Vuitton at previous ceremonies, in particular the 2023 BAFTA film awards. The pearls are always repurposed from previous creations and convey a strong message in favour of the circular economy.

Pearls for men and women

Early this year, the Titan collection designed by Pharrell Williams for Tiffany & Co. – inspired by the depths of the oceans and the magic world of mermaids - highlighted freshwater pearls and diamonds. All the creations revolve around Tahitian pearls, chosen for their rarity and singular colour. In February, the jeweller also presented a high jewellery capsule collection: Bird on a Pearl. All the pearls were purchased from the private collection of Hussein Al Fardan, an authority in the field who owns the largest collection of natural saltwater pearls in the Gulf region. Among other big jewellery names, Boghossian has always bought natural pearls and used them in its creations. Over the years, the company has built up a large collection which includes conch pearls – natural pearls in a beautiful coral pink shade.

The new Tiffany Titan by Pharrell Williams Tahitian pearl ring

Unlike other pearls, these are not made of nacre, but the calcareous concretions of the queen conch (Strombus gigas), found in the Caribbean. Impossible to cultivate, conch pearls are extremely rare.

A new generation of designers

Pearls are often used as a distinctive element by the new generations of designers. Akillis, for example, has incorporated Akoya pearls into its jewellery for the first time: “In the Capture Amulet collection, we draw inspiration from powerful symbols. A jewel becomes a romantic, protective talisman, a timeless jewel for both men and women,” says the brand’s founder, Caroline Gaspard. The same is true of Melanie Georgacopoulos, a designer of Greek origin and artistic director of M/G Tasaki. “In recent years, pearls have become a distinctive sign for new designers,” she explains. Pearls have been adopted by the young generation and integrated into contemporary wardrobes. You could say that they’re no longer viewed as old-fashioned; just the opposite, you see them worn every day by men and women with playful ease.”

The Geneva-based designer Chiara Tedeschi has also taken the use of pearls in jewellery in a new direction with the Gioia collection, in which pearls are accompanied by semi-precious stones of different colours. “It’s wonderful creating jewellery with pearls,” she says. “Their lightness and roundness symbolise femininity and uniqueness.”