Cerulean
AAA+ grade freshwater pearls, opalized mother of pearl, ivory jasper, and sterling silver melons interact to create understated luxury in this 45.5 cm necklace. For more info on the necklace, please click on Details, and if interested in my musings, please go to Story.
The identification of the beads starts from the bead in the centre, moving upwards, with measurement for some of the bigger beads, with metal beads named last.
Length: 45.5 cm (nearly 18”)
Weight: 75 gm
- Moonstone: 14 mm
- Opalised mother-of-pearl: 14 mm
- Ivory jasper: 12 mm
- AAA+ grade freshwater pearls: 10 mm
- Silver disc spacers
- Sterling silver melons: 13 mm long, and 8 mm wide
- Silver spacers
- Approx 6.2 gm silver (excluding clasp & identity disc)
- Gold filled crimp tubes
- Sterling silver clasp
- Silver Manik identity disc
I worked through four to five iterations of this necklace before settling on this final design. I knew I wanted to use the opalized mother of pearl beads, and the freshwater pearls, and I was eager to use the bright silver melons I had just brought back from Turkey! I also wanted to bring in moonstone beads. But the moonstone and the mother of pearl were both biggish at 14 mm and looked bulky beside the 10 mm AAA+ grade freshwater pearls. I had to drop the moonstone except for one bead in the centre. Then the Turkish silver melons looked too slim for the other beads, so I brought in off-white kunzite columns instead, which suited, but somehow seemed ‘predictable’. Happily, I remembered that I had bought the silver melons in two sizes, and the bigger size worked!
So here it is, a refined gemstone necklace that brings together creamy tones and subtle textures, blending ivory opalized mother of pearl beads with delicate pale yellow veining, with lustrous freshwater pearls glowing with quiet grace, and ivory jasper. Between the segments, sterling silver ‘melons’ add a bright sculptural glint, bringing balance and light to the composition. The overall effect is serene and refined, understatedly sophisticated, and effortlessly wearable, befitting both everyday wear and special occasions!
It was a toss up between naming it ‘Nacre’, or ‘Ivory Radiance’, or ‘Serene’, but I am finally going with Serene! I think Serene will suit a range of colours, except perhaps the very bright brights. Experiment and enjoy!
