Retethering: The Timelessness of Pearls in the Post-Pandemic

In the millennia that humans have spent tangled up in pearls, we’ve imbued them with practically every complex, contradictory meaning we could squeeze into their iridescent layers: birth, death, power, delicacy, virtuosity, greed, timelessness, impermanence, sensuality, chastity, naivety, elegance, abundance, exploitation. The pearl has taken on these roles with the quiet competence of a Rorschach test, filtering and refracting our sentiments back to us.

This article was included in the Metalsmith Magazine. Vol 44 No 1 and can be purchased online at SNAG Metalsmith.

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