I love Freshwater pearls for their soft glow, natural beauty, and wide variety of shapes and colors. Unlike the perfect rounds of saltwater pearls, freshwater pearls often have interesting shapes and subtle variations that make them so much fun to design with.
These pearls are grown in lakes and rivers and formed inside mussels rather than oysters like saltwater pearls. Because they’re made almost entirely of nacre, or mother-of-pearl, they have a beautiful luster and are strong enough to wear every day.
What I enjoy most are the colors—creamy whites, soft pinks, lavenders, and cool grays. Freshwater pearls are often enhanced with dyes, which is perfectly accepted and does not reduce their value.
I love how this pearl cluster pendant captures the diverse shapes of natural freshwater pearls. No two pearls are ever the same, which means each pendant I make has its own character and can never be exactly repeated.
This particular pendant is an example of salt casting with sterling silver. Similar to water casting, but instead of pouring molten silver into water, it is poured into salt, resulting in a totally different and more rough textured look.
I decided to use a grey pearl to enhance the look of this pendant, giving this organic piece a touch of sophistication.
The randomness of the creative process that happens while working with a torch and sterling silver helps to create the pendulum style of one of my favorite pieces. I often enhance the reticulated pendant with some delicate 14k gold fill. This particular piece is augmented with a lustrous 9x12mm oval freshwater pearl. The look is elegant and dressy. As with all my pendants, it is suspended from a sterling silver chain.
Stick pearls are one of the most distinctive forms of freshwater pearls. Instead of the rounded shapes we often imagine, these pearls grow long and slender with natural edges that give them a modern, organic look.
I love using them in jewelry because they bring something unexpected – elegant, but also a little bold. Every piece feels fresh, modern, and completely unique.
Freshwater pearls always add a little glow and personality to my jewelry.
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