Why every graduate should own a set of pearls
Remember that famous scene in Breakfast at Tiffany’s? You know the one, where Audrey Hepburn is standing at the window of Tiffany’s eating a croissant out of a paper bag. Now what do you remember most about that scene? Is it the black dress? Her shades, perhaps? Or is it the stunning six strand pearl and rhinestone necklace adorning her neck and draping her back? Talk about the star of the show. Our heroine Holly Golightly might not have had her life together, but that string of pearls suggested to the world that she did. That is the power of the pearl.
For decades, pearls have been associated with wisdom (Condoleezza Rice), elegance (Kate Middleton), power (Michelle Obama) and glamour (Scarlett Johansson). During the days of the debutante, young women would be gifted pearls as they entered society. A badge of respectability and a symbol of adulthood, pearls say to the rest of the world ‘I am a confident, modern, powerful woman’, Louise Tippey of Pearls by Fleur explains. ‘I am chic, glamorous and stylish’.
Having just graduated, having just gone through that rite of passage, right now is the perfect time to pick out a piece of pearl jewellery that will last your entire adult life. Representing a coming of age, they’re a way of telling the world ‘I am now a woman’. Still a badge for the wise (well, where did you think the phrase ‘pearls of wisdom’ came from?), these gems will take you from university to your career and everything in between; dates, interviews, family events, even your own wedding! Most importantly, they’ll say both to you and the world that yes, you’ve got this, you’re on the right track – even if on the inside you’re not quite so sure.
‘When fashion trends come and go, pearls remain constant throughout history’, Louise reminds us. It’s this grounded, unshakable core of quiet confidence that it’s important to feel in yourself from the moment you put on your graduation stoles and robes. When you drape pearls around your neck before your first big job interview you’ll be reminded of the jittery excitement you felt for your future on graduation day. Slipping a pearl bracelet on your wrist before a boardroom speech will remind you how far you’ve come since your hands used to shake with nerves during uni presentations. Later in life as you adorn your ears with pearls you’ll hear the words of wisdom your mum used to give you, encouraging you to share your life lessons with younger generations.
So, as many of you graduate this summer, we’d like to suggest that now is the time to invest in an item of pearl jewellery that will see you through anything your adult life might throw at you, instilling you with understated confidence and granting you ladylike elegance. When one gem can do so much, why would you want to wear anything else?
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