Contemporary South Sea Pearl and Diamond Earrings in Gold, c. 2000

South Sea pearls - actually South Sea cultured pearls - are a comparatively recent phenomenon in the history of pearl cultivation. For a long time, only Akoya pearls cultured in Japan were available in a quality that could compete with natural pearls. It was not until the late 1970s that pearls from various countries south of Japan came onto the world market. Japanese experts had successfully applied the knowledge of domestic pearl cultivation to the previously unused species of pearl oyster Pinctada maxima, which can produce particularly large pearls - the "South Sea pearl" was born. The silver-lipped oyster Pinctada maxima only thrives in the crystal-clear waters of the warm tropical lagoons of the South Seas. Unlike freshwater pearls, which are cultivated in former rice fields in China, only a few pearls grow in South Sea mussels at a time, and it takes several years for a pearl to mature inside the mussel. Genuine South Sea pearls are correspondingly rare and precious. This pair of earrings presents four particularly high-quality South Sea cultured pearls. Their basic color is a soft creamy white with a light pink overlay. They are very round and symmetrically grown, their surfaces show only very few natural growth marks. Their lustre is good to very good. The earrings each combine a smaller pearl and a larger pearl and connect the two flexibly via two diamond-studded leaves. The pearls thus become the precious fruits of a glittering plant: the movement makes them an elegant eye-catcher on the ear. We were able to discover the earrings in the Rhineland. They were created around the turn of the millennium and are in very good condition. Large friction backs ensure a good fit on the ear.

Estimate:£3,644.05

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