Liv's Jewellery Journal

Ladies – it’s time to talk pearls…

Whilst out exploring this week in Bulgaria, I stumbled upon boutique after boutique of pearl jewellers. The most gorgeous of designs, from classic to contemporary, I quickly fell in love.

The casual styling of pearls is the leading jewellery trend of 2023, and has been branded ‘pearlcore’ by fashion experts. Pearlcore is essentially a modern view on traditional fashion – gems once saved for special occasions are now being styled with everything from Sunday knits to workwear, and I’m here for it.

First things first, let’s talk Bulgaria. I’m pretty open to adventuring anywhere, but this one wasn’t a hit for me. The culture felt unfamiliar, and Sofia wasn’t buzzing with the creativity I crave. However, there was one HUGE highlight, and that was the pearls!

YUNO are the only Bulgarian brand specialising in natural pearls, so I couldn’t resist a visit to their Sofia boutique, which showcases a prepossessing selection of jewellery. Pearls in white, cream, baby pink, violet, peacock blue, brown, golden and silver are featured.

So there’s two types of genuine pearl available, natural or freshwater. Natural pearls are formed exclusively in nature with no human intervention. In large sizes especially, natural pearls are extremely rare and expensive. On the other hand, freshwater pearls are cultivated by inserting a piece of mantle tissue into a mollusk and then leaving it to grow. How very scientific?! To stick within style preferences and budget, I’m a freshwater girly all day long.

Buying pearls can be a tricky game. The pearl industry is lacking in a harmonised grading system, so the quality of pearls, and consequently their price, is determined by the shape, surface, lustre and size of the gem. This gets a whole lot trickier when juggling a significant language barrier and unfamiliar exchange rates. The sales associate was hardly charmed by my indecision and talkative nature – the direct culture of Bulgaria can be a tad unsettling to a chatty Brit like myself, and took a little adjusting to (with the support of Google Translate, of course)!

Cultured pearls come in an array of shapes, with round, semicircular, elongated and teardrop being the most popular, but I’m a lover of the more eccentric baroque styles. Baroque pearls form in a selection of somewhat bizarre shapes, yet can be just as glamorous as their more traditional counterparts. Then I had to consider styling – add a string of pearls to your everyday look and voila! You’ll be a modern fashion icon with a classic twist! I love Harry Styles’ regular styling accompaniment of single strand pearls with knitwear, as well as Kate Middleton’s habitual classic pearl earrings with a t-shirt and blazer. Although pearls are a statement of Carrie Bradshaw, I especially loved the 16 inch classic strand of Akoya pearls, paired with single pearl studs, in the recently aired “When In Rome…” episode of And Just Like That. I’ve found that shorter lengths are more playfully styled – my vision is effortless class, but with a modern twist.

After what likely felt forever to the sales associate, I had my heart set on a stunning strand of grey pearls, characterised by their baby blue undertone and faceted beads. The youthful tones balance the overall class to a more versatile, easy styled, finish! 

More often than not I hear people say that although they love pearls on others, they wouldn’t suit themselves. I promise, you can pull it off – they’re not as risky as you may think! My biggest fear was looking outdated, but times have changed. We no longer need to restrict our pearls to formal settings – they can be pulled off with a casual look. With the right set and style, pearls can be effortless, modern and completely stunning.