02/06/2026
Perfect pearls. Did you know pearls had many meanings in antique jewellery?
In Georgian and Victorian jewellery, pearls were deeply emotional. They were used in mourning pieces to symbolise tears, remembrance, and eternal love. Seed pearls often framed miniature portraits, locks of hair, or memorial inscriptions, making them less about ornament and more about sentiment.
In wedding and bridal jewellery, pearls represented purity, innocence, and feminine grace — especially before diamonds became the dominant bridal stone.
In aristocratic and court jewellery, they signified wealth and refinement because natural pearls were once extraordinarily rare. Before cultured pearls became widely available in the 20th century, owning a matched strand or pearl-set tiara was a serious display of status.
