Pearl Trends 2020: Breaking the Rules of Tradition

Pearl Trends 2020: Breaking the Rules of Tradition

Pearls are no longer seen as the jewelry staple for Grandma only – in the last decade pearls started to gain popularity with women from all walks of life, both rich and poor, both young and old. With an abundance of quality pearls available at affordable prices, and set in interesting designs, pearls became sought-after across the world. 

We’re especially excited about the new trends that champion uniqueness and individuality. Here are some of the trends we believe would influence fashion in the next couple of years. 

 

Perfectly Imperfect

It’s no secret that we love baroque pearls – a unique type of pearl that became popular in recent years, after being shunned as imperfect. Now, we celebrate imperfection.

Baroque pearls are pearls that aren’t perfectly round but rather take up interesting and unexpected shapes. It reflects the unpredictable nature of the process of pearl formation, just like human experiences and growth are unpredictable.

Baroque pearls give jewelry designers a chance to experiment with creative designs, and pearl fans love it because they can wear one-of-a-kind pieces. 

Here is a selection of pearl jewelry designs sporting baroque pearls:


 

Irregular Shapes and Designs

Apart from jewelry designed with baroque pearls, other irregular shapes and designs have become popular as well. These include:

  • Mismatched earrings, for instance, one earring long and dangling while the other is short, or even a mere stud.  
  • Multi-colored pearls used in necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. These are popular as they can often fit with a wide variety of clothes. 
  • Mix-and-match designs, like different sizes of pearls in one design, or combinations with other gems. 
  • Embellish hair and clothes with brooches and pins. You don’t need to pin your brooch to your jacket or scarf as Grandma did; think about the possibilities of decorating your accessories, like your shoes, handbag, or a hat.  

Here are a few examples of irregular, on-trend jewelry:

 

Exploring the Color Spectrum

Although white pearls are still popular, designs using colored pearls have become more sought-after recently:

  • Tahitian black pearls are popular as ever, especially those with peacock-colored overtones. 
  • Golden South Sea pearls, with its large sizes of over 12mm and their lustrous soft glow, gives an expensive look and feel to jewelry designs. 
  • Freshwater Edison pearls come in a variety of natural colors, ranging from pink, purple, gold, grey and of course, white. 

Here are a few color-rich designs that we love:

 

A Masculine Spin

A surprising development we’ve seen in the last couple of years is that more men are choosing to wear pearl jewelry. Traditionally, men stuck with more masculine materials like metal and robust gemstones, but pearls are becoming a hot new option.

Designers like Gucci and Dior spearheaded this new trend and celebrities like Harry Styles and Shawn Mendes are often seen donning pearl jewelry. Mikimoto recently designed a range specifically for men, in collaboration with fashion brand Commes des Garçons.

Tahitian pearls in darker colors like black, gray, and purple are popular, as well as designs including leather and dark metals. 

Although we don’t specifically cater to men, here are some of our more masculine pearl jewelry designs:

 

Choose to Be Unique

What all these trends have in common is that they’re breaking away from what is traditionally accepted from pearl jewelry. You can make your own rules and pick unique designs that speak to your soul. And if you don’t see a trend here that you like, why not start your own?