The Pearl Society

If You Liked It Then You Shoulda Put a Renoir On It

French artist and graphic designer Benedicte Lacroix has been sharing her wit with the world wide web in a display that even Vermeer might have "liked" and "shared." By flexing her Photoshop muscles, Lacroix has successfully transported several film and music celebrities back through time in disguise as famous art historic figures from ages past. 

 

 

...This is no click-bait: her series "Voyages Dans Le Temps" (French for "Journeys in Time") juxtaposes high art and viral wit in a series of captivating images that will keep you scrolling. Celebrities like songstress Beyoncé pose in the guise of Jean-François Portaels' famed muse from "The Necklace," while film siren Megan Fox flirts with Vermeer's pearl earring. With such an illustrious collection of artists to choose from, it comes as no surprise that a high frequency of Lacroix' work features jewelry, particularly of the pearly persuasion: in many artworks throughout history, pearls have held a potent presence. 

 

 

Historically, pearls have been used often in paintings and portraiture because of the hidden meanings they would have conveyed; wealth, status, and beauty being some obvious ones. Other insinuations not be obvious to the modern viewer include implications that the wearer is chaste, loyal, betrothed, or even to be associated with the Virgin Mary.

 

Importing modern divas into these classic portraits opens up a lot of room to play with pearls: you can see necklaces of old superimposed upon contemporary celebrities, whereas some pieces of bling traverse backwards through the timestream...Rihanna's gold pendants, for example, make a cameo in Albert Lynch's painting, "Woman in a Red Embroidered Shawl." You can even see a transformation of pearls: Julia Roberts began in a fetching freshwater pearl collar, only to be upgraded to a long strand of sumptuous pearls when she becomes royalty in "Alexandra, Princess of Wales" by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.

 

 

 

Some other favorite pearly personas from Lacroix' blog include Catherine Zeta-Jones as "Madame Moitessier" by  Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Marion Cotillard boasting a pearl-and-peacock headpiece as "Pavonia," by Frederic Leighton, and a grimacing Miley Cyrus as "A Spanish beauty" by Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger. To see these and more, click over to "Voyages Dans Le Temps"...or to get a glimpse of what YOU might look like in pearls from another era, why not stop by the gallery and ask Eve? 

 

 

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

Microcosm: Preserving Our Ocean Habitat, Sunday September 22, 2013

Microcosm: Preserving Our Ocean Habitat

Oysters are delicate creatures. Situated midway on the ocean food chain, they depend heavily on the microscopic creatures that inhabit the ocean. Without this oceanic food supply they would be unable to produce the lustrous pearls we all admire. Michelle Hoffman, is an award-winning educator who holds advanced degrees in Marine Biology (University of New South Wales) and law (DePaul University) and is currently working on a film about this delicate, microscopic, ocean environment.

Microcosm is a ninety minute, high definition visual journey into the microscopic universe of the ocean.  Within the microcosm dwells the foundation of life as we know it; it is the base of the oceanic food web, generator of the air we breathe, toxins that can poison our food supply, potential medicines that will save a loved one, and the fuels that might someday power your home.  There is exquisite beauty and biological diversity in the microcosm that has captivated artists throughout the centuries and provided the foundation for coral reefs so large they can be seen from outer space.  Through this film Michele hopes to underscore the artistry of the delicate creatures she calls "living snowflakes" and help people understand that these organisms represent the topsoil of the ocean.  The story to be told is one of interconnectedness, and untapped potential for a cleaner planet and healthier ocean. 

Ms. Hoffman began her love affair with the ocean at age five with the gift of a shell. At sixteen, she took her first life-altering breath on scuba, and by twenty-three she was a fully hooked PADI instructor. Michele’s articles and photography have appeared in international publications including an underwater photo shoot for Playboy, and she has been recognized in several international photo competitions. Some of Michele’s favorite dive locations include Thailand, Ireland, Hawaii, Australia, Honduras, Bahamas, Puget Sound, and the Floridian caves. Currently Michele is an active contractor with Dive Into Your Imagination and a faculty member of Columbia College, School of the Art Institute, and Roosevelt University where she teaches a range of courses that span traditional ocean sciences to sustainability courses that encompass law, policy, and ethics. At the core of Michele’s teaching philosophy is the belief that there is an inner scientist in everyone. She resides in Chicago with husband Bob and young son Ryan (also avid ocean enthusiasts) who share in her research and travel adventures!

 

Please join us on Sunday, September 22, 2013 from 3-5pm to see some of the stunning images and learn more about the ocean environment that supports us all, and allows us to wear the softly glowing orbs we so love!

Please reserve now as seating is limited, 847-869-7920, or contact@evejewelry.com. Refreshments will be served.

Readers may also wish to attend the Microcosm: An Evening of Art & Inquiry fundraising & education event at Columbia College of Chicago, October 17, 2013 from 6:00 to 9:00pm. More information is available on their website: www.microcosmfilm.com

 

 

“Rare Pearls of the Past” presentation on Sunday, July 18th, 2010

Floridian Marlene Miller is fascinated with pearls... and pearl artifacts... and things from the past. This lively, highly enthusiastic and knowledgeable speaker is an irrepressible collector (and maker of craft objects) who has amassed a personal collection of objects of desire for all pearl lovers: conch pearls, abalone pearls, Biwa pearls. She also has a rare stereoscopic film of Lake Biwa, a century past. The Pearl Society will host Miller at our next meeting, Sunday, July 18th from 3 pm to 5 pm, at The Eve J. Alfille Gallery.

Marlene scours antique shops and garage sales on the lookout for things like the single pearl pendants favored by ladies in the Fifties (I think I once saw a photo of Marilyn Monroe wearing one).  When she discovered an authentic Faberge egg pendant made of pink Honduran opal (she had the expertise to know what it was), she went on to find the perfect necklace to wear it from: a rare strand of pink natural Mississippi pearls.Join us for a chance to see and touch these and many treasures that Ms. Miller will transport to Chicago for our pleasure and edification, and bring a friend!

 
The meeting will be Sunday, July 18th from 3 pm to 5 pm

at the Eve J. Alfillé Gallery & Studio

623 Grove Street, Evanston, Illinois 60201 • 847-869-7920

Please reserve now! Call: 847-869-7920 or E-mail: contact@EveJewelry.com

Premiere of Tears of Mermaids: The Secret Story of Pearls & Booksigning

Exciting news for our Pearl Society members! Author Stephen Bloom (2 time Pearl Society speaker) is about to release his new book about pearls, Tears of Mermaids, and we are the 'premier reading' by this best-selling author to inaugurate his national tour! Sunday, November 29, 2009, from 3:00 - 5:00pm Mr. Bloom will present his racy, well researched and exciting new book, Tears of Mermaids and conduct a book signing. The Pearl Society will have some books on hand for you to purchase and have personally signed by Stephen Bloom himself!  If you are interested in placing an advance order, please send us an email to: contact@evejewelry.com.

As Mr. Bloom writes to Eve Alfillé, Pearl Society Founder, "Yours would be my premiere reading, and that makes perfect sense since so much of the book originated through you and the Pearl Society."

More details of this great event will be posted later.  Mark your calendars as this is an event not to be missed!!