This past year has been exceptionally busy at Jeremy Bloomfield, which is why we've not been able to blog for such a long time! We have refitted a lot of the shop and taken on a great variety of new brands such as Lucet Mundi, TW Steel and Babette Wasserman. We also have a host of new Georg Jensen jewellery, watches and Living accessories, so there's plenty to catch up on when you're next in Ilkley.
If you can't get to us straight away, then don't worry. Our new website is up and running with a large selection of jewellery and Living available online too. Take a peek at www.jeremybloomfield.co.uk and do feel free to email us with your comments.
As always, we have a treasure trove of pearl jewellery in store. Pearls are probably the easiest of jewels to wear, appropriate for every age group and on every occasion, from weddings and evening parties to days in the office and trips to the shops.
At Jeremy Bloomfield, we stock four different types of pearl: Freshwater, Akoya, South Sea and Tahitian.
Freshwater pearls are the most often seen of all the pearls, because they are more readily available than other types. The are created with the assistance of mankind, through the insertion of a tiny sliver of tissue into the mollusc, which then creates a pearl around the inserted 'irritant'. This process is called 'nucleation'. The Chinese are responsible for most of the world's freshwater pearls, having invested heavily in the process to benefit their riverside communities. Freshwater pearls were particularly favoured by Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel due to their accessibility and the design opportunities offered by their many variations in shape and colour. The freshwater pearls that we stock at Jeremy Bloomfield are available in earrings, bracelets, pendants and necklaces, and are in a variety of wonderful colours from white to pale pink to a dyed grey. This makes them a perfect accessory to any outfit or mood, and their lower cost makes them even more appealing!
Akoya pearls are grown in oysters off the coast of Japan. The salt in the seawater gives Akoya pearls much more lustre than their freshwater cousins and they tend to be more spherical too, which really shows off the colour and shine of each pearl. Instead of being nucleated with tissue, Akoya pearls have at their centre a tiny bead of mother-of-pearl. The pearls are carefully strung into necklaces and transformed into spectacular stud and drop earrings, bracelets and pendants, all of which we offer at Jeremy Bloomfield.
South Sea and Tahitian pearls are much larger than the aforementioned types, and unsurprisingly come from oysters in the salty waters of the South Sea and the Tahitian coast. South Sea pearls tend to be white, cream, champagne and yellow in colour and as a result suit every skin tone, giving a warmth that is unmatched by other jewels. They are spectacular to behold, described by one of our customers as
'like beads of Australian sunshine.'
In the past few days we have added a wonderful handmade pearl necklace to our stock, at the centre of which is a South Sea pearl drop with three diamonds set at the top of it. As with all of our pearl jewellery, there is only one of these in the world, but this necklace really is something unique and special to behold.
Tahitian pearls may come from the same region as South Sea pearls, but aside from their large size, visually they are very different. The minerals in the water around Tahiti give the pearls from the native Black Lipped Oyster a vivid colour. The unmistakably rich greys, blacks, blues and greens, accompanied by spectacular lustre, make Tahitian pearls among the rarest of gems in the world.
To truly appreciate pearls though, you need more than just the information and knowledge of how they come to be. You need to feel them in your fingers and to see them as they are meant to be seen - against the skin. For that reason, we encourage you to visit us in our store at 42 The Grove, Ilkley, and to discover for yourself why our pearls are so much loved.
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