Vermeer's painting of A Girl With A Pearl Earring has captivated many an admirer -- its name and subject seem simple enough, but inside her stare lies a deep level of complexity for a young woman. And then there is that pearl earring.... Several years ago, we had some fun inserting my daughter Camille into the painting with her sideways glance. It made me think that just by virtue of insertion, she might be able to better interpret the original painting-- wouldn't that be an interesting basis for a film or a novel!

More recently, I came across the black and white photo of a woman and her son-- she gazing lovingly at him and he at us. And then of course, there is the pearl ring she is wearing... I was instantly enraptured! I have always been drawn to the clever, classical woman who dresses simply so that her jewelry can make a statement. People ask me where the ideas for my jewelry come from and I can tell you that they are inspired by a glance at a passerby, a character description in a novel, or a photograph of an unknown woman wearing jewelry like this one. Up to this point, I had only been designing and manufacturing costume jewelry, but this pearl ring started a conversation in my head about creating a capsule collection of fine jewelry.

It's funny how an image can ignite the creative mind-- this one led me to venture into the world of fine jewelry and design my own version of this pearl ring. I wanted the simplicity of a solitaire design with big impact. I designed a shank that was substantial enough to support a large pearl yet simple enough to let the pearl shine on its own. I sourced South Sea pearls in San Francisco and found a spectacular few of the large size I was seeking. Pearls in and of themselves are worthy of an entire essay-- It all starts with grit, the grit that irritates the oyster that makes the pearl. Pearls are many things if not metaphors for life itself. We all know that life requires a great deal of grit!

You can't go wrong being a girl with a pearl! xx Carla