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Since I last posted in the forum, I've moved to Singapore, where I got to see the bridal couture exhibit of Chinese designer Guo Pei. Her wedding ensembles must be seen to be believed, and even more incredible is that some brides in China managed to walk down the aisle in Pei's gowns that...

Hi, everyone. I went on lurk mode for several months, but I came out of the woodwork to post my silver-jewel tones collection: a blue baroque SS ring, an SoC mabe bracelet, and akoya hoop earrings. These are my go-to pearls for work. Hope you love them as much as I do.

Everyone knows Imelda Marcos and her collection of shoes. Not many know her real crime is spending government funds and ill-gotten dividends on outrageous jewelry and Impressionist art. Aside from diamond tiaras and sapphire bibs, she wore these. Photos courtesy of the Presidential Commission...

Last year, I decided to treat myself to an SoC mabe pearl. I told myself, this caps my pearl collection. How often have we told ourselves that? Anyway, I have since fallen in love with mabes and blister pearls. After Douglas told me that he had SoCs that were not on display at Perlasshop.com...

Hi! I saw this interesting piece, but I wondered if l got her pearl classification wrong. Is it abalone pearl, biwa, or just plain FW stick pearls?

Ever since I invested in my golden Wilma Flintones, my first go-to GSSP necklace has stayed at the back of the jewelry case. The pearls are circled and dyed, but I like their casual elegance that went well with sundresses and jeans. That got me thinking about reconfiguring them with turquoise...

As someone raised on Star Trek, I began following George Takei even before he joined Facebook. Today, he shared the link to this article on the Catacomb Saints. Among the precious gems that adorn the Catacomb Saints are loads of natural pearls. Head to Germany at warp speed!

Let's have a show of hands (and ears and necks) for Mother's Day! While everyone has birthdays and celebrates Christmas, I suspect no occasion has more women splurging on pearls. It certainly had me compulsively trawling the sale pages for weeks. I came this close to convincing myself that I...

I need your expert advice on a labradorite necklace with a GSSP as the focal bead. I was hoping to use Beaders' Secret, but the pesky drillholes in the labradorites are too tight. Is this wire okay? Is there another alternative?

I bought my Soc from Perlas last year, to reward myself during a torturous month at the office. It took me another three months to decide how to have it set. I found a pre-loved drop pendant, set in 14K WG, to which I could attach my SoC. Then when I instructed my jeweler to set the pearl...

While I was shopping for my sister's birthday present, I saw this pearl on display with typical white SSP flameballs. I was intrigued by the luster, the ripples on its surface and the gradation of color--like it was a pearl that wanted to be something else but fell short. The vendor suspects it...

I saw these on the facebook page of a vendor out of Palawan. I would normally steer clear of jewelry with a heart motif, but these...these are the pearl equivalent of cat videos. Awwww.

This rope of South Sea gas giants was among a collection of Jewelmer centerpieces on display at the #JewelmerGala2014. The largest pearl probably measured over 40mm.

Since I was lucky enough to squeeze myself into the 2014 Jewelmer Gala guest list, I decided to do a little research. I found this four-year old video that has very good footage of the Badjao sea gypsies, spats, oysters, and part of the farming process. Unfortunately, the video is only one of...

Browsing through eBay listings, I saw a merchant refer to three sets of loose pearls as "Tahitian silver pearls", "Tahitian white pearls", and "Australian south sea white pearls". Do Tahitian pearls come in white? In which case, isn't that just the same as white South Sea pearls?

I bought an inexpensive baroque akoya necklace from Overstock, and now I know why it was so cheap. Aside from being "bi-color" (i.e. uneven nacre), it exhibited a nasty odor. I've soaked and washed the pearls, thrown away the string it came with and temporarily put the pearls on a beading wire...

Back when The Philippines was a colony of Spain (1521-1898), the populace was so religious, even their taste in jewelry was influenced by the Roman Catholic Church. Typical of this were gold "tamborin" earrings. They were inspired by the ornate filigree that adorned rosaries and reliquaries...

I went to Greenhills in search of 3-4mm round FWPs, which I did not find. Instead I came home with something better: color-shifting baroque FWPs, and metallic fireballs that can hold their own with natural color akoyas. How can I possibly concentrate on work tomorrow, knowing these pearls are...

I'm shopping online for my beading project, an opera necklace of different pearl types (FW keshi, Tahitian, Akoya) and colors. Initially, I planned on buying loose drilled golden akoya pearls, but I came across golden south sea pearls in the same size range (7-10mm). Normally, one buys SSPs...

Pearls are timeless, but they're also slaves to our fickle moods and taste in fashion. What we like and how we wear them can change over the years (and sometimes, over a few months). I remember my first pearl necklace: a tiny graduated strand from Majorica. It was 1997, and I wasn't completely...