PUNK PEARLS Clockwise from top left: M.C.L Design necklace of Black Sea pearls and multicolor sapphires, $5,445 at Bergdorf Goodman. Janis by Janis Savitt pearl, crystal and brass necklace, $1,450; for store information, call (212) 245-7396. Butterfly wreath necklace, made from vintage pearls, butterfly brooches and chain, from Subversive Jewelry by Justin Giunta, $2,200; for information, call (212) 679-0453. David Yurman South Sea pearl and blue topaz necklace, with a topaz clasp set in 18-karat gold, $25,000 at David Yurman. Tom Binns Pearls in Peril necklace of Japanese pearls and Swarovski crystals, $1,230 at Henri Bendel. Louis Vuitton necklace of resin pearls, braided silk cord with brass beads and a costume jewel bow, about $7,600 at Louis Vuitton.
DON’T pearls deserve something better? Despite numerous attempts over the years to disentangle them from their good-girl image, they have resisted. Even Audrey Hepburn, recklessly tossing about that magnificent rope of pearls in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” could not dislodge them from the altar of good taste.
But now a new crop of pearl necklaces undercuts all that refinement — and that’s all to the good. These are pearls with an edge, acquired through a juxtaposition with quirkier stuff. Punk meets Park Avenue.
An array of designers have embraced this marriage of luster and grit, the brazen and the demure. At Subversive Jewelry, Justin Giunta constructs tangles of pearls, chains and vintage finds. Tom Binns designs arresting pieces that drip with pearls and crystals. And more is decidedly more at Louis Vuitton, where the necklaces are baroque assemblages of resin pearls, rope and paste jewels.
Wear them to add a touch of haute to a T-shirt or a smack of insolence to an evening dress.
Source: nytimes
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