Pearls are always appropriate

A pearl necklace is one of the items of jewellery that has long been considered to be a jewellery box staple. It was Jackie Kennedy who said ‘pearls are always appropriate,’ meaning that they suit all occasions and all outfits. Indeed pearls are still worn by many brides on their wedding days and feature in most jewellers’ windows today. Pearls may be a thing of beauty but they have a very practical purpose for the producing mollusc.

When a small piece of dirt becomes trapped within a creature’s shell it begins to coat the item in nacre, a substance that hardens in layers and eventually forms a pearl. In cultured pearls, rather than dirt, the core of a pearl is usually a plastic bead that the mollusc treats in the same way. In the Jewellery Auction on Sunday 4 November there are four pearl items including lot 146, an impressive pearl and chain necklace.

To view the Jewellery catalogue click here >>

Sarah Fergusson 

McTear’s sells more jewellery than any other Scottish auction house in the dedicated jewellery auctions that take place twice monthly, run concurrently live online on a platform that attracts six million visitors annually from over 120 countries worldwide. Come along to the Valuation Days at McTear’s on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays for complimentary auction advice.