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Retethering: The Timelessness of Pearls in the Post-Pandemic

 
Published: 22.04.2024
Petra Class. Necklace: Hanging by a Thread, 2023. Pearls, silk thread. Photo by: Petra Class. Petra Class
Necklace: Hanging by a Thread, 2023
Pearls, silk thread
Photo by: Petra Class
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Intro
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.