The Sustainable Luxury Of Pearls: How A Neolithic Gem Won Over Millennials

What is it about that pearl earring that has kept the Girl in the news for over three hundred and fifty years? Just in recent pop culture memory, Vermeer’s most famous artwork had been adapted into a historical novel in 1999, an Oscar-nominated motion picture in 2003, and a London stage production in 2008. During the pandemic, Banksy put a COVID-19 mask on her. Last year, a climate protester glued their head to the frame at the exhibition in the Hague. This last story highlights the pearls’ position at the intersection of environmental concerns and socioeconomic development.

Found in varied saltwater and freshwater habitats around the world, natural pearls are produced by oysters. Human love affair with pearls is a tale as old as time. The oldest known pearl dates to the Neolithic period some 8000 years ago. It was discovered off the coast of Abu Dhabi. Across the Persian Gulf, modern day Iran was home to the oldest pearl necklace, the Susa jewels of three rows with 72 pearls each, found in a 2,400-year-old royal tomb.

The global pearl market is experiencing a renaissance in a post-pandemic fashionscape. Currently valued at just over $10 billion, it is projected to grow at an accelerated rate of 13% CAGR as consumers seek environmentally safer goods and products with greater emotional appeal. To better understand the dynamics behind this phenomenon, let's take a tour around the world in eighty pearls!

Epitome of Reasonable Luxury

Pearls are always appropriate. The viral quote is often attributed to Jackie Kennedy Onassis. The fashion diplomacy icon frequented Monaco, home to the Misaki brand. “What I love about pearl jewelry is its power to assert one’s style and femininity,” says CEO Axelle Alech. Pearls are a staple of luxury imagination. Fashion photographer Etti Kobo was inspired by that earring to launch Coconut Love.

Made for women by women, the young Israeli brand has become a new go-to must-have for the style-savvy lovers of meticulously handcrafted jewelry. “Drawing from the painting's aura of sophistication and simplicity, I aim to create pieces that reflect a similar harmony and radiance,” notes the designer.

Pearl jewelry is a practical option for romantics and a romantic choice for the basics-first crowd. Head to toe, pearls have adorned Chanel beanies and scrunchies, Miu Miu sneakers, Jimmy Choo bags, and even the noses of Naeem Khan bridalwear models! Kobo affirms “pearls have a classic appeal that transcends trends making them a perfect tool for self-expression, especially as a more sustainable jewelry alternative.”

A Sustainable Status Symbol

Kokichi Mikimoto belongs to the world’s greatest visionaries single-mindedly changing entire industries like Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, or Christian Dior. In 1896, he patented the process of producing cultured pearls, opening the global jewelry market exponentially. Mikimoto remains a leader in this multi-billion dollar “niche” branching out into pearl calcium cosmetics, perfumery, homeware, and collabs with the likes of Comme des Garcons.

Pearls are organic gems, a renewable resource with its future tied to sustainable environmental standards. The Bern-based World Jewellery Confederation has a United Nations consultative status and supports the Kyoto Protocol in part because of the harsh impact of climate change on pearl oysters. Across the Pacific Ocean, the island of Tahiti is home to the world's first Pearl Museum run by Robert Wan. Since 1976, the man and the brand, heirs to the Polynesian pearling heritage, have cultivated prized Tahitian pearls certified by Gemological Institute of America.

“Pearl is the only gem that doesn't require laborious handling to enhance its quality. They are perfectly ready to be set on jewelry. Each pearl is a precious work of art by itself!” says Wafa Habbar, General Manager at Robert Wan Middle East. Driven by rising consumer confidence and buoyed by traditional reverence for the mythical jewel, Asia Pacific has emerged as the fastest growing pearl market.

Pearl Diplomacy & Intercultural Heritage

Pearl trade was foundational to the Persian Gulf economies prior to the discovery of oil in 1939. Gulf pearl traders were as legendary as the Silk Road merchants. Pearls are referenced in the Koran as paradise-bound treasures. Long before Qatar made its historic mark as the soccer World Cup host, it was famous as a pearl destination among the jetsetters arriving throughout time by caravan, ship, or airplane. Fittingly, Doha’s most ambitious luxury development is called Pearl Island.

Contemporary designers such as Farah Al Mana preserve and perfect the legacy of Qatari pearl craftsmanship. Over in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai-based Damas Jewellery is one of the longest operating goldsmith and pearl brands in the region. Established in 1907, it has set the trends and standards for over a century. The post-globalization desire for genuine intercultural experiences powers the momentum of interest in design heritage around the world. “I call it the new wave of pearls giving classics a twist of new glamour,” says Alech of Misaki Monaco.

Mystical Meets Practical

“From ancient sculptures incorporating pearls to classical paintings of women with pearl jewelry, pearls have demonstrated their versatility and unique allure in different social, religious, and artistic contexts,” reflects Coconut Love’s Etti Kobo.

Indeed, from the Nile to the Mississippi, pearls feature prominently in ancient indigenous mythology. The emotional storytelling potential of pearls is reflected not only in common expressions (I’ll take “pearls of wisdom” for 500) but in tourism marketing strategies as well. For example, one of the bestselling European pearl brands is based in the Canary Islands (Spain) off the Atlantic coast of North Africa. Tenerife Perla has tapped into the future nostalgia trend by positioning pearls as the ultimate luxury souvenir from a romantic or family getaway to one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. Meanwhile, Australia is home to the pinctada maxima oysters which produce the largest and most valuable pearls in the world.

There, Paspaley is maintaining creative stewardship of the historical Down Under pearl knowhow. A pearl is a reliable keeper of precious memories. Here is another special jewelry shopping and collecting advice from the 13th century Sufi poet Rumi: "Whatever pearl you seek, look for the pearl within the pearl."