Pearls have always held a certain elegance: the multiple ropes which adorned the necks of Coco Chanel and Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly became a lustrous signifier of a certain meticulous beauty. Since then, of course, the rules have been rewritten, and we have seen pearls sliced, studded with spikes and layered with costume jewellery as an insouciant play on their value.
In his decade-long role as creative director of jewellery house Tasaki, Thakoon Panichgul’s treatment of pearls has always stood apart. The pearls, which derive from Tasaki’s own pearl farms in Japan and Myanmar, encapsulate both his intention to modernise the design and the exceptionally skilled levels of craftsmanship a Tasaki pearl requires.
balance cross ring in yellow gold with an Akoya pearl and diamond
‘I think the perception is that pearls are for a more sophisticated set, but that stands to be broken,’ Panichgul says. ‘Pearls can be quite youthful when applied in a different way than what we’ve been used to seeing for a long time.’
A new collection, balance cross, retains this less formal aesthetic Panichgul champions. Perfectly spherical pearls unite with graphic silhouettes of gold in cheerful geometrical juxtapositions. The pearls, paired with diamonds and the cross of the gold, spell out XOXO (commonly recognised as hugs and kisses), Panichgul’s way of dismissing the idea love requires balance.
‘I bring what I think is a modern interpretation,’ he says. ‘We want to be modern for the women of today.’ He enjoys challenging the preconceived ideas of pearls: ‘This is why, in the designs, a lot of the energy that comes out is sometimes a contradiction in form and perception. But ultimately, they are modern.’
balance cross necklace in yellow gold with Akoya pearls
INFORMATION
-
This listed house in London is transformed through a contemporary celebration of the archSegmental House, a listed house transformation by Dominic McKenzie Architects, taps into the playful powers of the contemporary arch
-
The Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II glides into the DMs of the world’s 1 per centThe Series II version of the ‘Baby Rolls’ has slight but sophisticated revisions to keep this hefty saloon in the targets of an increasingly idiosyncratic and individualist buyer
-
The 24 best photographs of 2024, shot for the pages of Wallpaper*Photography editor, Sophie Gladstone, completes her year in review, with some personal highlights from Wallpaper* photographers in 2024
-
Art takes London: Tiffany & Co, Damien Hirst and artists take over Selfridges' windowsFour British contemporary artists celebrate Tiffany & Co's pioneering history with a series of storied window displays
-
Late summer jewels: what to wear at Golden HourLate summer signals a jewellery style-shift. These independent designers have got it covered
-
All smiles: How a grillz jewellery making class in London became an international hitWhat started as a passion project quickly exploded in popularity. We get the story behind the grillz-making workshop at Cockpit London
-
Emerging jewellery designers to get to knowThese independent, new and emerging jewellery designers and brands from New York to Paris are firmly on our radar
-
Jewellery designers share their most precious personal piecesA host of jewellers give us a peek at the jewellery which brings them joy and solace
-
Playing it cool: pearls are having a momentWe've been deep-diving into boutiques around the world to find the very best calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form. It seems jewellers have been busy rethinking pearls, with contemporary (and often affordable) results
-
Eternity rings for the modern coupleEternity rings, whether sleekly minimalist or sprinkled in diamonds, can be a chic and contemporary love token
-
Alternative engagement rings with an edgeAs the sales of engagement rings sky-rocket during lockdown, enjoy our off-kilter curation of edgy and unconventional engagement rings
