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.
Source : Forbes
