Pearl is the only gemstone on this list that a living thing made. Every other stone here was formed by heat, pressure, or time; a pearl is built layer by layer inside a shell. It is also the softest thing in the shop, which is why it is strung the way it is.
Where it appears
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Beside turquoise — three pieces here pair pearl with turquoise, and the white makes the blue read cooler than it does on its own.
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Beside amethyst — one cabochon setting, where the pearl sits as the second stone.
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Beside aquamarine — a double-wrap, with the pearl beads alternating down the strand.
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On gold-filled wire — a single white pearl, wrapped rather than set.
Six pieces, and not one of them is pearl alone. That is not a gap in the collection; it is how pearl is used here.
Soft, and worn like it
Pearl is a 2.5 to 3 on the hardness scale, which makes it roughly as soft as a fingernail. It should not be stacked against quartz or agate, and it should come off before anything that involves abrasion. Kept apart, it holds its luster for decades.
This is the same instinct as the rest of the collection — stones worn for what they bring to the wrist rather than for their own sake. The blue pieces are where pearl does most of its work.
Wearing it
Keep pearl away from perfume, hairspray, and harder stones. Wipe it with a soft cloth rather than a polishing compound, which will strip the surface.
Choose by what you want the pearl to sit against. It is a stone that takes its character from its neighbor.
