I recently returned from a week on the island of Fiji — where the light is magical and the landscape feels reminiscent of Hawaii. It was my first time on the island and I loved the soul of the place. But I was particularly blown away by the beautiful handcrafts that I discovered there — from woven basketry to ceramic jewellery and freshwater pearls.
Before breakfast of a morning, the lovely local ladies would string these pearls by the water, crafting them with love into bracelets, anklets, or necklaces that graze the collarbone just so.
While on the island, I befriended a beautiful local jeweller named Torika, who crafted custom pearl bracelets for my daughter and I. It felt so special to take home a piece that was crafted by her hands especially for us and strung with the kinds of stunning freshwater pearls that Fiji has become famous for.
I’m not sure quite what it is about pearls, but they seem to contain within their iridescent depths all the secrets of the sea. There is something almost miraculous about them — a mystical quality surrounding the process by which a tiny grain of sand can be transformed into a precious gem.
I am also drawn to the overt femininity of the pearl — which exists as the very emblem of a seed tucked away within a shell. To me, it calls to mind the 17th century painting by French artist Pierre Mignard: Portrait Of A Lady In Allegorical Guise, Holding A Dish of Pearls. Something about the way she plucks those pearls from the shell dish seems to perfectly sum up the mysterious charm of these oceanic treasures.
I recently returned from a week on the island of Fiji — where the light is magical and the landscape feels reminiscent of Hawaii. It was my first time on the island and I loved the soul of the place. But I was particularly blown away by the beautiful handcrafts that I discovered there — from woven basketry to ceramic jewellery and freshwater pearls.
Before breakfast of a morning, the lovely local ladies would string these pearls by the water, crafting them with love into bracelets, anklets, or necklaces that graze the collarbone just so.
While on the island, I befriended a beautiful local jeweller named Torika, who crafted custom pearl bracelets for my daughter and I. It felt so special to take home a piece that was crafted by her hands especially for us and strung with the kinds of stunning freshwater pearls that Fiji has become famous for.
I’m not sure quite what it is about pearls, but they seem to contain within their iridescent depths all the secrets of the sea. There is something almost miraculous about them — a mystical quality surrounding the process by which a tiny grain of sand can be transformed into a precious gem.
I am also drawn to the overt femininity of the pearl — which exists as the very emblem of a seed tucked away within a shell. To me, it calls to mind the 17th century painting by French artist Pierre Mignard: Portrait Of A Lady In Allegorical Guise, Holding A Dish of Pearls. Something about the way she plucks those pearls from the shell dish seems to perfectly sum up the mysterious charm of these oceanic treasures.
