“I went with the intention of buying a black pearl the size of a malteaser.”
Nicky Owens went to watch her husband compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and had her heart set on buying a perfect pearl that she could someday use in a bespoke piece. Not everything happens instantaneously however, and the beautiful pearl resided in her drawer for the next seven years.
It was only in 2015 when something more beautiful came into Nicky’s life that she saw the opportune moment to utilise the sleeping stone: the birth of her baby girl, Perla – Italian and Spanish for Pearl. Akin to the way in which she was now caring for her daughter, so too did she want to keep the precious stone protected: “Pearls are a delicate stone and need to be cared for in the correct way”.
Designing the piece wasn’t a task that Nicky would undertake on her own. She began collaborating with our design team and one of our passionate and talented goldsmiths, Keith Taylor, to produce the perfect bespoke pendant. “I was confident he could translate my idea into a unique, beautiful piece. I love working with DMR’s goldsmiths and have a great respect for how creative and skilled they all are.” When faced with the task, Keith was more than happy to fully explore the potential at hand: “I asked her (Nicky) all about the pearl and why she bought it.
“I wanted to make something that would give her a link and told a story.”
Keith was quick to draw inspiration from Nicky’s new born baby girl and produced a piece that symbolised the protection and safety that Perla had. “The round wires set at random are small diamonds which represent guardians looking after her child.”
The pendant itself is a stunning work of art. The pearl is protected in a yellow gold, diamond set case, with almost slight religious undertones. The deep, dark black of the pearl presents an incredible contrast to the sharpness and luminance provided by the sparkle of the diamonds and the incandescent yellow gold.
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