Mother’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Pearl Necklaces For Last-Minute Gifts

Pearls have shaken off their staid image in recent years, and are now markers of great taste. From delicate chokers, bold statement necklaces, and elegant mash-ups of diamonds and pearls, to modern classics, pearl necklaces make for a great last-minute Mother’s Day gift.Here’s the best of the independent designers.

Laoli

Paris-based Laoli launched earlier this year, and designer Olivia Ball Ariowitsch is already making waves in the city for her soulful jewels in a palette of gold, pearls and diamonds. The first collection is beautifully coherent, with the perfect pearl drops and a gold cigar ring that taps into the idea of jewelry adornment rooted in the simple pleasures of existence, personal memory and identity. Hand-strung at the oldest pearl atelier in Paris, the Grande pearl necklace is the most tender expression of the brand’s ethos and is perfect for layering, with graduated natural pearls finished with an 18kt gold bead clasp.

Jewelry designer Pacharee-Sophie Rogers’ mastery with pearls and gold is at its best when she is working with organic shapes and natural forms. Marking her brand’s fifth anniversary, her most recent collection pairs the soft glow of hand-selected natural pearls with the glitter of white diamonds for the first time, to elegant effect. In the Plu necklace, she keeps the barque pearl front and center, accented with diamonds in a talking-point pendant.

Sophie Bille Brahe

Since launching her brand in 2011, Danish goldsmith Sophie Bille Brahe has grown a following for her modern reinterpretation of gold and pearl jewelry, designed for multifaceted modern women just like herself. Inspired by the night sky – she’s descended from a pioneering astronomer – and the natural world, Sophie distills minimalist Scandinavian design into wearable pieces like the Grande Orangerie de Perle necklace with perfect poise.

Eéra

Michelle Obama loves Eéra’s signature diamond-encrusted carabiner earrings, and the brand has built an arresting signature look rooted in industrial design, brightly colored custom metal treatments and a healthy dose of upbeat Italian style. But with the most recent collection, designers Chiara Capitano and Romy Blanga take a more feminine turn, with a fresh take on the pearl choker complete with the signature gold clip, in delicate dusky pink.

Mizuki

Tokyo-born, New York City-based Mizuki Goltz creates understated contemporary jewelry that focuses on the pearl, rooted in the Japanese idea of beauty through simplicity. Now widely stocked across the US, since she launched her brand in 1996 she has carved out a refined design language to produce jewelry that complements rather than overpowers. The latest iteration of her Privéline, is designed to be stacked high, mixing gold and diamonds in delicate jewelry that sings in concert to create a sophisticated, modern look.

Melanie Georgacopoulos

A master of minimalist pearl jewelry, Melanie Georgacopoulos explores the mysterious beauty of pearls and nacreous materials through jewels with a minimalist, timeless aesthetic that puts the focus firmly on the materials themselves. The Nacre necklace features unusual golden mother of pearl teamed with gold South Sea pearls in a modern reworking of the pearl choker.