Nature Studies: Ocean

Hiroshi Sugimoto, North Pacific Ocean Iwate 1986

How poignant to reflect on the sea as a calming influence in light of recent tragedies in the oceans, created by nature, and created by man.  Let's remember the wonders of the sea, and of all the ways that it nourishes us.

Sugimoto’s ongoing photographic series Seascapes, document the world's oceans in the artist’s unique way.   He uses very long exposures to capture and heighten the passage of time.  At first, each seascape seems to be a variation of the same body of water: clear day scapes with crisp horizons and others where sea and sky fog together.  It is only later that photo titles tell you that the oceans are oceans apart.

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Tasman Sea Ngarupupu 1990

Sugimoto’s extended-time working method depicts the way water really is and inadvertently, captures why I love pearls. They’re my Seascapes ― the unique expression of a particular body of water amplified by an artist’s eye. In a hurry, pearls look the same.  Slow down and they’re different in every way; different on every woman.  

Pearls are good in the same ways tomatoes are good and art is fine: ineffable, rare products of nature, place, intellect and make.  And, rarity = value. A South Sea Pearl isn't just a Pinctada Maxima oyster with gumption — it is the rush of open water telling a story full of history and romance that begins with a flaw and ends with a glowy heroine.  The South Sea itself, the water, is why pearls from there are lightening in a bottle.  South Seascapes.

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Tyrrhenian Sea Scilla 1993

Akoya Pearls

Pinctada Fucata

I have a Japanese friend who still wears a kimono for formal dress or on days when she wants to engender a little more respect.  A string of Akoyas are her jewelry choice.

Akoyas became popular within Japan only after they began to be cultured for export in the 1920s. By the 1950s, Akoya pearls won widespread popularity as a byword for the well-dressed woman.  Rarer now because of habitat, they’re still the classic.

We use Akoyas in:

Akoya Pearl Earrings, E1117 

Tahitian Pearls

Pinctda Margaritifera 

Tahitian pearls, famously, include black colorations with the spirit of spiced trade winds and still salt lagoons. These oysters produce a subtle, gorgeous range of natural grays, greens, peacocks, eggplants, roses and blues. 

Our Tahitians:

Tahitian Pearl Earrings, E1130

South Sea Pearls

Pinctada Maxima

South Sea pearls come from the largest, rarest and most solitary pearl oyster.  They flourish only in the clear rush of open ocean far away from people.  South Sea pearls are the most sought-after because of their thick nacre and accompanying luster.  

We use South Sea pearls in:

South Sea Pearl Necklace, N2176