The Lost Art of Wedding Pearls

There is something old-fashioned and lovely about the idea of wedding pearls that I think has been lost. They are not hard and glinty like diamonds, but rather soft and glowy, more a sign of romantic love than the serious business of swearing and oathing over a gold band. And for that one picture that is supposed to be the iconic shot of a lifetime, what better jewel to wear than one that will never go out of style?

Jackie Kennedy may have clinched the meaning of the wedding pearl for her generation: the romance won't last, sister, but the pearls will, and you will look fabulous in them!

But certainly long before Jackie, there were hundreds of years of royalty who all went to their fate swathed in pearls. Even the supremely practical Queen Elizabeth frumped her way to the altar wearing her momentos d'amour.

And on a personal note, my own Grandmother, married at the peak of World War II rationing in a cocktail dress, made sure that she did so decked out in a classic three string and hoops. I'm certain there was no suspicion in 1943 that in just a few decades more, the long-venerated pearl would slink down to the status of a biddy's foible.