Pearly queens

PEARLS ARE IN the limelight these days, not only because the most famous pearl in the world, La Peregrina sold for a record $11.84 million at last month’s auction in New York of Elizabeth Taylor’s collection, but because of The Iron Lady, which opens in cinemas this week with Meryl Streep playing Margaret Thatcher. There’s a scene in which her Conservative strategists urge her to get rid of her hat and pearls in order to maximise her appeal and leadership qualities. Her response? “I may be persuaded to surrender the hat, but the pearls, however, are absolutely non negotiable”. They were a gift in 1953 from Denis after the birth of their twins and along with her pussy-bow blouses, stiff bouffant hairdo and Aquascutum suits, became emblematic of her style.

Pearls have a long history as power accessories and there’s a well known photograph taken in 1996 of a White House lunch where Hillary Clinton, Princess Diana and Anna Wintour are all wearing creamy white pearl necklaces. But nothing can compare with the story of how in 19015 the Cartier jewellery company traded a double strand pearl necklace for its New York headquarters – a landmark mansion on Fifth Avenue – with a rich young socialite called Maisie Plant. According to Chris Andrews of Weirs in Dublin, pearls are better for earrings or necklaces than rings, because they can chip. They also need more care than diamonds and should not be worn with make-up or perfume. Necklaces may need to be restrung, but their neutral colour is an advantage, he says. In Weirs, prices start at about €300 for a freshwater pearl necklace, going up to €20,000 for Mikimoto cultured pearls.

What determines price, says Paul Brereton of Brereton Jewellers, is size, shape and lustre. Different oysters can produce different colours – black pearls come from Tahiti and a pearl’s silvery or golden iridescence can make it more expensive. “Hold them in your hands before you buy,” he suggests. “And see their effect against your skin.”

Coco Chanel, who regularly mixed real with costume jewellery, once said that “a woman needs ropes and ropes of pearls”. She was rarely seen without them and they, like the interlocking CCs, remain recurrent Chanel motifs.

The Chanel boutique in Brown Thomas, Dublin has necklaces costing from €515 up to €925, depending on length. However, inexpensive alternatives can be found in high street chains, from Debenhams, currently selling a pink pearl necklace for €12, to Marks Spencer, which has a range of faux pearl jewellery including a barrel-collared necklace for €22. A freshwater pearl necklace is €49 at the Pandora shop in Grafton Street, Dublin. If you’re buying them by the yard, the US company Carolee has white and coloured pearl ropes from $45 up to $150. See carolee.com (to order, telephone 00-1-201-6014251).