‘It's important to highlight that pearls can be so much more than perfect round objects onto which we attach so many connotations,’ says jewellery designer Melanie Georgacopoulos, whose work slicing, carving and faceting pearls has revolutionised traditional pearl jewellery. ‘I think the time has come to set them free and explore their potential in more creative ways.’
She has continued to do just that in her latest collections for Japanese pearl and diamond jeweller Tasaki. In the ‘Triple Pearl’ series, differently sized pearls in graduating hues encircle the ear lobe and the neck. In ‘Square Leaf’, the luminescent hue of the pearl is juxtaposed against a chunk of square-shaped gold, while in ‘Wedge’, the gold dissects the pearl itself, reducing it to three-quarters of its size.
‘Over the last decade, since Tasaki and I founded M/G Tasaki, we have been actively and consciously establishing and exploring our own design codes for contemporary pearl jewellery,’ Georgacopoulos says. ‘The new pieces are a perfect balance between the exquisite Tasaki craftsmanship and my disruptive design ethos. I have always felt that Tasaki gives me creative freedom to design what I want and trusts me to follow my creative instinct. The new pieces feature pearl cutting at an angle and hollowing techniques in my ongoing exploration of the pearl as a material, whilst resulting in wearable everyday pieces that are subtle yet individual.’
Technically, the minimalist aesthetic of the pieces made creating them a challenge, while matching the delicate hues in the ‘Triple Pearl’ series to achieve the consistent graduation also proved difficult. For Georgacopoulos, the process was a rewarding one. ‘I enjoy working with Tasaki because of the creative freedom they give me, their technical excellence and execution, and of course the fact that they have introduced me to and enabled me to connect with Japanese culture,’ she says.
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