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Why Vintage Pearls

Close-up of hands wearing white akoya pearl rings with a bouquet of flowers and a blue dress.

When shopping for jewelry, one of the most important questions is "Should I purchase new or vintage?"

Craftsmanship

Pollution & Global Warming

Budget Friendly
Woman wearing a black dress with a yellow gold and akoya pearl necklace and a bracelet.

Craftsmanship

Vintage jewelry is often handmade with techniques and skill you don't see anymore. Modern designs are often mass produced, or if they are hand created hold a substantial price tag to reflect the effort.

It is difficult to find the quality of jewelry that was once commonplace decades ago. Details such as hand engraving or milgrain which were once standard are now rare. Patterns and details are often cast as it has become too expensive to spend time perfecting each piece of jewelry. Materials have changed and low quality is now the standard.

Hand wearing a white akoya pearl cluster ring with a Hawaiian beach and palm tree in the background

Pollution & Global Warming

Today with the increase in pollution and rise in global ocean temperatures pearls are not the same as they once were. Vintage pearls were grown slowly in cooler water which allows them to form thicker layers of nacre and a higher luster. Larger akoya pearls can take up to two years to grow to maturity. These pearls were often harvested in winter and subjected to minimal treatments.

Vintage akoya pears were also exclusively grown in Japan to the highest standards. Now they are grown in China an other parts of the world where standards do not matter, just quantity. By reselling and repurposing vintage pearls we are advocating a sustanable way to enjoy fashion. We are not contributing to additional production to mine new gold and silver, or deplete the ocean of its resources.

Sterling silver engraved cufflinks with white akoya pearls on lava rocks with palm trees in the background in Hawaii.

Budget Friendly

While some spectacular pearls are still grown in Japan today they are exceptionally expensive reflecting the difficultly and care needed to grow them. Vintage pearls are often much more reasonably priced due to being second hand. Many high quality pieces were also set in sterling silver. After WWII gold export was restricted from Japan so silver was commonly used.

This was a popular gift for the soldiers returning home to bring their loved ones. This trend led to the popularity of pearl strands in the 1950s! Purchasing one of these vintage strands is a fantastic budget-friendly way to own top quality pearls at a fraction of what they would cost new today.

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