One Saturday a mother and daughter came upon my shop, as a referral. It was serendipitous when I learned that Daughter was graduating from my alma mater, Syracuse University. As a gift for graduation, Mom had a cultured pearl necklace from Grandma that she wanted to restyle. It felt a bit dated and had a rather tarnished filigree fishhook clasp. Daughter felt that the necklace was a bit too long and not quite stylish enough. Thrilled that she was gifted with these pearls from her grandmother, this soon-to-be college grad was over the moon to make these beauties her own. I suggested that she keeps the longer length. To modernize and elevate the style, we incorporated a double clasp – one end can be hooked between pearls to modify the length while the other end can then be used as a hinged bail, allowing her to add a pendant or charm to the end. These pearls had such little wear that I did not need to restring them. I was able to attach the clasp directly to the end caps. As I always do, I took a photo of the finished piece, adding the double-sided moon pendant (the sun is on the flip side in yellow gold) to showcase how this necklace could be styled with a possible pendant. Mom loved it so much that when she came to pick it up, this time with her other daughter, she shared that the recipient of this necklace absolutely ADORES all things celestial. So this pendant was especially fitting. Mom was overjoyed to include the pendant with the pearls as an unexpected bonus, making for one very special and meaningful gift to mark the occasion.
- Materials: Cultured akoya pearls, sterling silver, 18k white gold
- Client location: Weatogue, CT
