a classic wedding gift – pearl bracelet

pearl bracelet wedding gift with remnants of family jewelry used

stringing pearls, a glimpse of the jeweler's bench

her mom had a plan to present a bracelet to her daughter in a quiet moment during the wedding rehearsal dinner. mom had always wanted to gift bracelets to each of her two daughters for their weddings. i had already made a wedding bracelet for her sister a few years ago. their sense of style is as different as their personalities – each unique and stunning.

mom wanted to create the surprise gift using 1) pearls from her own necklace that her parents gave her on her wedding day and 2) the diamonds from another pair of gifted earrings. she hopes her daughter will not only wear the piece on her wedding day, but also with great frequency after!

she knew her mother would be doing something with pearls but did not know what. i needed to suss out what the soon-to-be bride would love, all the while keeping the surprise of the bracelet from her. i have known this young woman since before she was a twinkle in her parents eyes! she has a simple elegant sense of style, not frilly or fussy at all.

my small advantage on this project was that i had gained a sense of her style as I created a previous piece for her. when she came into my shop to have her rose gold wedding band made from bibi’s diamonds, i pulled out the remaining strand of the family pearls to get a feel for what she loved, to add to what I had already learned from talking with her parents. careful not to reveal her mother’s idea for the wedding bracelet, I listened as she described her concept of a bracelet with chain between the pearls. and i watched carefully as she kept going back to the remnant of the original strand of pearls, draping it over her wrist and exclaiming “this is really pretty!”

“this is really pretty!”

the challenge in stringing the pearls was to make sure the tiny diamond accents on either side of the rose gold ball clasp would not flip – nothing worse than an upside down diamond! i knew her wrist measurement, i also knew how much additional length is added from the knots between each pearl (jewelers put a knot between pearls to protect each pearl from abrasion) and i measured how long the length of the clasp configuration. putting all that information together, i could figure out how many pearls i would be using.

i am a pushover for pearls as well. i find them timeless and beautiful. these orbs just glow and reflect all the colors around them. my preference is for the saltwater pearls (Akoyas or south seas or Tahitians or Cortez) but fresh water pearls can be just as glowing. the cultured Akoya pearls in this bracelet are from are a beautifully-matched strand.

bracelet of cultured Akoya pearls with a 14k rose gold ball clasp and two full cut diamonds for just a little sparkle
Location: Simsbury and Glastonbury, CT