Ad Category Above Title [D:1440×400 M:1440×400]

gafencu Shop

gafencu  app

Ad Category Sidebar [D:300×300 M:300×300]

Ad Video Category Above Title

For decades, pearl jewellery was considered the height of femininity but the bivalve baubles used to be considered pretty butch and it seems that with the expansion of the male jewellery market more men are snapping up these precious Pacific beauties.
<figure id="attachment_40628" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-40628" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-40628 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Untitled-design-5-1.jpg" alt="Pearls" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Untitled-design-5-1.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Untitled-design-5-1-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Untitled-design-5-1-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Untitled-design-5-1-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Untitled-design-5-1-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Untitled-design-5-1-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Untitled-design-5-1-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-40628" class="wp-caption-text">Left: Qing dynasty, Yongzheng Emperor and right: Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala. Both adorned with regal pearls</figcaption></figure>
We have evidence of pearls being worn by Song dynasty Chinese rulers as early as 2300 BCE. They&#8217;ve also long been a favourite of the Indian Maharajas. Julius Caesar, meanwhile, actually passed a law declaring them for aristocrats only. In England, they were often given loose to Tudor knights who would carry them into battle as a good luck talisman, and Charles the First was even famously beheaded while wearing a pearl pendant earring in one ear. So when did the pearl lose its rough, tough reputation and become so much more associated with dainty necklaces to be clutched at by feminine fingers?
<figure id="attachment_40622" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-40622" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-40622 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-6-e1542079522817.jpg" alt="Pearls" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-6-e1542079522817.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-6-e1542079522817-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-6-e1542079522817-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-6-e1542079522817-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-6-e1542079522817-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-40622" class="wp-caption-text">A young Charles I sporting the pearl earring he would eventually wear at his own beheading</figcaption></figure>
It was when the Japanese perfected the art of growing and harvesting perfectly round pearls in a way that was much more efficient and cost-effective than ever before, that pearl jewellery took off with the masses. Jewellers adapted the gems to suit the ever changing fashions of the twentieth century, from the long pearly strings of the twenties to Dali’s signature mouth brooch with pearl teeth. But it was with the rise of film starlets wearing pearls that turned them into a gemstone more associated with women. As men bulked up into beefcakes for the screen they began to turn their backs on delicate soft-hued pearls.
<figure id="attachment_40620" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-40620" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-40620 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2-10.jpg" alt="Pearls" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2-10.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2-10-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2-10-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2-10-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2-10-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2-10-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2-10-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-40620" class="wp-caption-text">Starlets like Grace Kelly (Left) did a lot to feminise pearls. Dali got rather more creative with the gems with his famous &#8220;mouth brooch&#8221; on the right</figcaption></figure>
But the times, they are a’changin, and once again men seem to be returning to pearl jewellery. Ever since Pierce Brosnan appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair wearing a single Tahitian pearl on a leather thong, the pearl’s potential has opened up from the tribal to the tailor-made.&nbsp;Most recently, American musical acts A1 Bentley and Pharrell Williams have made public appearances – decidedly unshy about their predilection for pearls – wearing multiple statement strings at once and typically opting for iconic white pearls over darker, understated colours.
<figure id="attachment_40626" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-40626" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-40626 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Pearls.jpg" alt="Pearls" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Pearls.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Pearls-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Pearls-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Pearls-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Pearls-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Pearls-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Pearls-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-40626" class="wp-caption-text">Left A1 Bentley, Right Pharrell Williams both sporting strings of white pearls.</figcaption></figure>
If the idea of A1 Bentley’s flapper strings is a bit much and you’d prefer to ease yourself in to pearl jewellery, then consider smaller, more subtle pieces like cufflinks or tie pins. Or make like Brosnan with a single statement pearl as part of a more masculine design. Give the men&#8217;s marine jewellery trend a whirl with these pearly designs, all available at <a href="https://www.1stdibs.com/">1stdibs.com</a> .
<figure id="attachment_40624" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-40624" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-40624 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-5.jpg" alt="Pearls" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-5.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-5-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-5-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-5-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-5-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-5-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-5-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-40624" class="wp-caption-text">Left: Versatile Spinel South Sea and Tahitian Pearl Gold Extra Long Necklace. Top right: Art Deco Diamond, Platinum and Mother of Pearl Cufflinks, Carrington, circa 1920. Bottom right: Tahitian Black South Sea Pearl White Diamond Yellow Gold Cocktail Ring.</figcaption></figure>
Did you know:
<ul>
<li>A natural pearl takes six months to form</li>
<li>Although white pearls are the most popular, they can be found naturally in seven different colours</li>
<li>The global yearly diamond yield is ten times greater than that South Sea pearls</li>
</ul>
Text: Alice Duncan

Pearls for Boys: How Men are Reclaiming Pearl Jewellery

historic jewels

Magical Johnson: Madame Web’s Dakota Johnson rises above the film hate and those who bring down others in life

Valextra – handbags of timeless beauty

Sensational Seoul: Beyond K-pop hype, the city’s glorious palaces and majestic surrounding mountains endure

Demure & Mindful: Classic evening gowns never go out of style 

Minority Generosity: The Ruttonjees, a Parsi family, exemplify the diversity of Hong Kong benevolence

Tag: historic jewels

Blog Section

Pearls for Boys: How Men are Reclaiming Pearl Jewellery