Pearls have been one of the most prominent and significant Necklace gemstones in jewelry-making since ancient times. They were first discovered by people searching for food along the seashore and have been worn as adornments for thousands of years.
The first historical piece of pearl jewelry was found inside the sarcophagus of a Persian princess dating back to 420 BC and is now displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Pearls were presented as gifts to Chinese royalty as early as 2300 BC. In ancient Rome, pearl jewelry was a symbol of great status. Pearls were so precious that in the first century BC, Julius Caesar enacted a law restricting the wearing of pearls to the ruling classes only.
Pearls remain highly popular among jewelry designers and enthusiasts, prompting global brands to create contemporary designs of pearl-adorned jewelry every year.
In this article, we showcase the most beautiful pearl necklaces that will be the perfect choice for your elegant and feminine looks throughout the summer of 2024.
Trend Necklace by Yoko London
A pearl forms when a substance like a parasite or a piece of shell accidentally lodges inside the soft body of an oyster. This leads to the secretion of a crystalline substance called nacre as a defensive mechanism, which accumulates around the parasite in layers, eventually forming a pearl. This natural phenomenon is what creates what we now refer to as natural pearls.
When pearls are combined with rose gold, the result is always a breathtakingly beautiful design, like the stunning Trend necklace by Yoko London. This necklace embodies the elegance and sophistication of the modern woman in a perfect way.
The necklace is crafted from 18-carat rose gold and adorned with a mesmerizing white freshwater pearl, surrounded by a halo of sparkling white diamonds that enhance your radiance, especially for summer evenings in 2024.
Joséphine Aigrette Necklace by Chaumet
A cultured pearl forms through the same process as a natural pearl, but the difference is that this process begins with human intervention. A bead of shell nucleus is inserted into the oyster to stimulate it to produce layers of nacre. The outer layers of a cultured pearl consist of concentric layers of organic material and calcium carbonate. Human intervention initiates the formation of a cultured pearl, whereas natural pearls form without any human involvement.
If you're preparing for a sophisticated wedding this summer, or if you're the bride, why not dazzle in an elegant design like the iconic Joséphine Aigrette necklace by Chaumet? This necklace is inspired by the V-shape that symbolizes the jewelry collection of Empress Joséphine, the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The necklace is made from 18-carat white gold and adorned with 5 Akoya cultured pearls weighing 1.35 carats, and 19 brilliant-cut diamonds weighing 0.23 carats, enhancing the luxury and allure of the design.
Fine Balance Necklace by Tasaki
It takes over 100,000 oysters to obtain enough pearls to make a pearl necklace. Matching natural pearls to create a necklace is extremely challenging because they are never found round or uniform in size and color. A perfectly matched natural pearl necklace is extraordinarily expensive.
Today, natural pearls are among the rarest gemstones, and their nearly exhausted supplies mean that they are found only very rarely in the seas off Bahrain and Australia.
In 1893, Kokichi Mikimoto created the world's first cultured pearl by manually inserting a stimulating substance into an oyster to induce it to form a pearl. By 1935, there were 350 pearl farms in Japan producing 10 million cultured pearls annually.
Akoya pearls come exclusively from the salt waters of Japan, harvested from the Pinctada fucata oyster, also known as the Akoya pearl oyster. Akoya pearls may resemble freshwater pearls, but they tend to be rounder and smoother.
With a design that showcases the creativity of Tasaki artisans, the Fine Balance necklace features yellow gold curves embracing white Akoya pearls of varying sizes. This elegant and contemporary design suits your daily looks in the summer of 2024.
Open Heart Necklace by Tiffany & CO
Freshwater pearls are found in lakes and rivers in China, and to a lesser extent in Japan and the United States. They are harvested from freshwater mussels and tend to have a white and pink appearance.
Given the recent popularity of Lariat-designed necklaces, we chose the Open Heart necklace by Tiffany & CO for your modern looks in the summer of 2024. This necklace is crafted from 18-carat yellow gold, with a heart through which a delicate chain passes, ending with a white freshwater pearl, granting you exceptional elegance in your daily looks.