The Pearl Society

Some Women are Dripping in Pearls

UPDATE, 2-28-15: Nyong'o's dress has been reported RETURNED by the thief who, according to a tip called into TMZ, removed two pearls from the stolen dress and had them tested in the L.A. Garment district, whereupon they learned that the pearls were "not real." The dress was found in a garment bag hidden in a trash bag, back in the actress' original hotel.

UPDATE, 2-26-15: In a hair-raising turn of events, Lupita Nyong'o's famous pearl gown was reported stolen late Wednesday evening, on February 25, 2015 from the actress' hotel room. The dress is estimated to cost appx. $150,000, and will likely either be held for ransom, or sold on the black market.

If you didn't watch the Oscars last Sunday night, you may not know who won each category, but that doesn't mean that you have to go on without knowing who turned the most heads! Lupita Nyong’o, winner of last year’s Academy Award for "Best Supporting Actress" in the film 12 Years a Slave, has been proclaimed this year’s “Best Dressed” by the popular vote. 

Not one to shy away from making waves, Lupita graced the red carpet last year in a grand, Cinderella-like blue gown of “Nairobi blue.” This year, she caused an equally significant splash in her outstanding custom Calvin Klein dress, designed by old favorite Francisco Costa. “From the onset, I wanted the dress to be graphic, yet warm and luxurious,” Costa said. He began with a base of luxurious tulle and lamé fabrics, and then systematically–and carefully–went on to apply a mesmerizing mermaidly design of no less than 6,000 pearls. 

“We looked at a variety of different pearls—South Sea, iridescent, and natural—and decided that the natural pearls looked the most beautiful.” And we certainly agree! Costa’s team didn’t stop until they had assembled five variations of pearl sizes, all of which were hand sewn onto the gown...And because the devil’s in the details, it would be unforgivable not to mention Nyong’o’s stunning Nicholas Kirkwood slingbacks, which were an “obvious choice” according to Costa, and which are also, happily, pearl-encrusted peeptoes.

 

Close-up cameo of the pre-dress pearls released by Francisco Costa

SPECIAL EVENT: Please join us for "Maker & Muse: Women and Early 20th Century Art Jewelry" at the Driehaus Museum

The Eve J. Alfillé Gallery & Studio and The Pearl Society cordially invite you to join us on a private, guided tour of the Driehaus Museum and their new exhibit "Maker & Muse: Women and Early 20th Century Art Jewelry" featuring an array of unique pearls and other gems. The tour will be followed by a brief Q&A.

When: Sunday March 8, 2015 at 10:30 am
Where: The Richard H. Driehaus Museum, 40 East Erie Street, Chicago
Parking is available for $14.00/car with museum validation at ROW Self-Park, 50 East Ohio, Chicago

Reserve your place now as space is limited to only 15 lucky attendees! Call 847-869-7920 to pay by credit card, or stop by the Gallery to pay in person. Private tour cost is $21.00 per person (non-refundable) which is required at the time you reserve your place.

About the Exhibit:
Maker & Muse: Women and Early Twentieth Century Art Jewelry features more than 250 exemplary works of art jewelry between the Victorian Era and the First World War, including cloak clasps, hair ornaments, pins, brooches, rings, bracelets, pendants, necklaces, and several tiaras. This groundbreaking exhibition illuminates the international proliferation of art jewelry through the lens of woman as its maker and muse. For the first time during this period, women emerged as prominent jewelry makers in their own right, establishing independent studios amid changing social norms. In other regions, the female figure acted as a powerful muse, appearing in jewelry as audacious and novel motifs.

Drawn from the Driehaus Collection’s extensive jewelry holdings and prominent national collections, many of these stunning pieces have never been seen by the public. The exhibition upholds the same ideals of beauty as did its makers, who in the early decades of the twentieth century were inspired by broader art movements of the day to create audacious pieces of jewelry with dramatic forms, intricate craftsmanship, saturated colors, and semiprecious stones.

Maker & Muse explores five different areas of jewelry design and fabrication: the Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain, Art Nouveau in France, Jugendstil in Germany and Austria, Louis Comfort Tiffany in New York, and American Arts and Crafts in Chicago. Each section explores the important female figures and historic social milieu associated with these movements, and is accompanied by historic photographs and immersive decorative arts of the period, including furnishings, posters, and stained glass.

What Did the Pearl Say to the Microchip?

They say that if you put your ear up to a seashell, you can hear the ocean rumbling within...But what happens when you listen to a pearl?

You may not hear the ocean, but the Galatea company (the “original creator of carved pearls,” as their website proudly boasts) may be onto something with the latest in pearl innovation. Imagine receiving the gift of a lovely pearl pendant from a loved one, simply touching the pearl to your cell phone or a nearby speaker, then hearing the voice of that person telling you they love you?

An "NFC" pearl pendant by Galatea

Using breakthrough technology, this has now become a reality for jewelry. A company known for thinking outside the shell when it comes to pearls, Galatea has engineered a series of miniscule NFC (near field communication) microchips which can be implanted into the heart of a pearl, invisible from the outside, while being securely held in place within the pearl. These chips need no battery, as they run on induction energy.

In order to begin, one would need simply to record a meaningful phrase, a “Happy Birthday,” or any number of sounds...in fact, why stop at sound? These magnificent little cards can also hold images, messages, or meaningful videos, effectively making them the world’s most high-tech lockets. In order to “unlock” the message, the recipient would simply need to download the proper application to their phone or device, touch it to the pearl (or gem), and the data would transfer automatically...because, after all, who could tolerate a USB plug coming out of their jewelry?

Despite the impressive variety of media this technology is capable of transmitting, Galatea insists they are trying to inspire the idea that a pearl can carry the voice of a loved one...And yet, now that the technology is available, it will be an utterly fascinating journey to see if the trend takes hold. Could this usher in a whole new age of functionality, as well as sentimentality, in the gift-giving world? Will our children give and receive strands of pearls, each pearl with a different, special memory cleverly hidden within? Only time will tell.