A fine and quietly distinguished stickpin in 18ct gold, c.1920, set with a natural grey pear-drop pearl of 1.1 × 0.7cm. The distinction between natural and cultured pearls is significant: natural pearls form entirely without human intervention, the result of an irritant entering a mollusc in the wild, and are vastly rarer than the cultured pearls that have dominated the market since Mikimoto's commercial cultivation techniques became widespread in the early 20th century. A natural pearl of this size and quality is a genuinely rare find. The grey colour — cool, sophisticated, and unusual — gives this stickpin a quiet authority that a white pearl cannot match. Tests as 18ct gold. Pin length 6.5cm.

The Details

• Circa: 1920
• Pearl dimensions: 1.1 × 0.7cm (natural, grey, pear-drop)
• Pin length: 6.5cm
• Hallmarks: Tests as 18ct gold