Lust Pearls

This is a question I’m often asked and am very happy to discuss but right at the outset, do remember that the rarity and value of a pearl is made up by many things and size is only one of them! Right, onto business. Nobody disputes that South Sea pearls are statistically the largest in the world. They’re found in Australia and a number of other countries around the world. In terms of size, they can be up to 20mm in diameter though it’s worth stressing that the larger pearls of that size (or close to it) are exceedingly rare. As you’ll imagine, they command premium prices. In a sense, the answer’s easy and one can say “Australia”!  However, life’s rarely quite so straightforward. When one starts talking about the biggest individual pearl, it becomes quite complicated. If you do an online search for the largest pearl ever found, you’ll find multiple sources all providing different information (including claims for one that’s on display in Broome, WA). For more ...

Over many years, clients have given many reasons why they love pearls. Sometimes, the reasons are surprising. At other times, they’re warmly familiar.  It’s also true that there is wide diversity in them. Here are some of the top reasons our clients have given for their near addiction to pearls: they are unique.  You can look at one pearl that’s notionally the same in every respect (size, grade, colour etc.) as another – but they’ll be very different and have different characters too; pearls are natural.  True, cultivation takes place but the processes are entirely natural.  No vast production line machinery is involved, no hazardous chemicals used and above all, nature makes them and not Man; they are rare.  The world’s total pearl production is surprisingly small.  The wearer is expressing their individuality and discerning taste; they are ‘green’ and sustainable.  At least in Australia, all production adopts the highest stands...

I’m sure you wouldn’t want us to start telling you what it is that you find so attractive in pearls! You probably know that yourself. However, what I would like to do is to spend a few minutes talking about one aspect of this wonderful bounty of nature – and that’s its luminescence. We all often speak of a pearl’s lustre and its luminescence. Strictly speaking, this is incorrect. If you think back to those science lessons at school, “luminescence” is defined as the light-emitting qualities of an object. That is, something that emits light or shines other than via heat. So, some old watch hands glow in the dark because they were painted with a radioactive substance. That’s luminescence, as is the light emitted by some sorts of animals when created by chemical reactions in their bodies. You’ll probably be pleased to know that pearls are not radioactive! Yet even so, they seem to glow when looked at. What’s causing that? The scientists tell us that it’s som...

Entire libraries have been filled with books on what exactly “design” and “style” mean. Universities are also full of design lecturers and students discussing the same subject. So, you’ll understand that I’m a bit intimidated trying to cover this topic in a brief blog!  Even so, I’ll do my best - so here goes… These two subjects are highly subjective. We’ve all read newspaper stories criticising galleries for displaying an umbrella tied to two bricks and describing it as “contemporary design” (a made-up example by the way).  Equally though, it’s possible to look at some examples of Victorian jewellery that at the time were considered masterpieces of style and design but which now look dated, sentimental and over-fussy. Tastes change over time and vary from person to person. However, here at Lust Jewellery we believe many things are universal when considering jewellery designs and I’ll list my personal views here: Typically, the pieces need to look ...