Article: Pearl Jewellery with Italian style
Pearl Jewellery with Italian style
There is a reason pearl jewellery has been worn by Italian women for centuries.
Not as a symbol of conformity — the twin-strand-and-twinset cliché that still haunts the pearl's reputation in some corners — but as a statement of knowing. Of having spent enough time around beautiful things to understand that the oldest materials are often the most sophisticated.
Sarah Hutchings has been travelling to Italy's Vicenza jewellery fair for over fifteen years, and one of the things she has observed is consistent: the Italian houses that work with pearls do not treat them as a traditional material. They treat them as a design challenge.
How do you take something organic and unpredictable and make it feel completely contemporary? How do you set a pearl so it doesn't look like it belongs in your grandmother's brooch box?
The answers, at each of the houses we carry at Orsini, are different — and that variety is exactly the point.
Marco Bicego: engraved gold paired with pearls
Marco Bicego grew up in his father’s workshop in Vicenza, and he carries on the family tradition. The technique the house is known for — hand-engraving 18-carat yellow gold using an ancient tool called the bulino — produces a silky, slightly textured finish that catches light in a way that polished gold simply doesn’t.
Run your finger across a Marco Bicego piece and you can feel it. That texture is why pearls work so well here: the nacre’s soft glow and the hand-worked gold surface are both doing something interesting, and they complement each other.
Sarah selects Marco Bicego pearl pieces for Orsini because the pieces are made to be worn together — a pearl pendant alongside an engraved gold chain, a mother of pearl ring beside a Lunaria bangle — each piece considered, the combination effortless.
Chantecler: the spirit of Capri
Chantecler was born on Capri — and Capri’s relationship with the sea is not decorative, it is foundational. The island’s light, its waters, its particular combination of wildness and refinement have shaped the house since its founding.
Sarah had followed Chantecler for years before securing the New Zealand exclusive partnership for Orsini in 2026, and it was exactly this quality — the house’s willingness to work at the boundary of jewellery and sculpture — that made Chantecler a special edition to Sarah's curated collection of Italian jewellery brands.
The collection Sarah carries at Orsini centers on Chantecler’s signature Campanella — the bell that has been the house’s motif since its founding on the island. Worn alone or stacked, in gold or with stones, the bells have a warmth and a history that you feel immediately.
The Mediterranea Nautilus necklace is an example of how truly remarkable Chantecler is, creating such an acclaimed masterpiece. Fourteen iridescent Nautilus shells among vibrant titanium branches, white enamel and diamonds — it won Best in Haute Couture at the COUTURE Design Awards 2025. It is a bespoke commission piece, and the kind of creative vision that tells you everything about what this house values.
Nanis: colour and organic form
Nanis is a maison from Vicenza, founded by designer Laura, and the craft of that city is present in everything she makes. Her signature shape — the boule, a hand-engraved 18-carat gold sphere she describes as an “unusual gold pearl” — is the thread that runs through the entire collection. It is a telling description. The boule has the same organic warmth as a pearl, the same softness against the skin, and Laura treats mother-of-pearl with the same instinct: as a material that belongs in gold, not sitting on top of it.
The Boules and Muse collections are where you see this most clearly. Mother-of-pearl appears alongside rock crystal, amazonite and hand-engraved gold across pieces named for Italian drinks and seasons — Dolcevita, Rosolio, Lattementa — each one with a particular mood and colour.
These are not pearl pieces in the traditional sense. They are something more considered: jewellery where the iridescence of mother-of-pearl is chosen for what it does to the gold around it.
The Muse boule mother-of-pearl pendant is a favorite and available now — view it here
What to look for in a pearl: a short guide from the team at Orsini
Customers often ask us how to assess a pearl’s quality. These are the factors Sarah considers when selecting pearl pieces from Italian houses for Orsini.
What is pearl lustre and why does it matter?
Lustre is the most important quality factor in a pearl. A high-quality pearl has depth to its surface reflection — you should see a clear, almost mirror-like image in the nacre. A dull or chalky surface indicates thin nacre or lower quality.
What is nacre thickness in a pearl?
Nacre thickness determines how long a pearl will last. Pearls with thin nacre will chip and peel over time. This is particularly relevant for cultured freshwater and Akoya pearls, where nacre thickness varies significantly by producer.
Are baroque or irregular-shaped pearls lower quality?
No. Shape is a matter of design intent. Round pearls are the benchmark for classic pieces, but drop, button, and baroque shapes are chosen deliberately by designers like Nanis and Chantecler for their organic, sculptural quality — they are a different design language, not an inferior one.
What is pearl overtone?
A pearl's base colour is accompanied by an overtone — a secondary colour visible in good light. Rose overtone on a white pearl, or green overtone on a Tahitian black pearl, are considered premium characteristics. Italian designers often select pearls specifically for unusual or rich overtones.
What are pearl surface blemishes?
Surface quality refers to the number and visibility of natural blemishes. Pearls are organic gems — some natural marking is expected and is not a flaw. What matters is whether blemishes are visible when the piece is worn normally.
Caring for your pearl jewellery
How should I store pearl jewellery?
Store pearls in a soft pouch or a separate compartment — they are relatively soft and will scratch against harder stones and metals. Do not store in an airtight container; pearls need a small amount of humidity to prevent the nacre from drying and cracking.
Can I clean pearl jewellery in an ultrasonic cleaner?
No. Pearls should never go into an ultrasonic cleaning machine — the vibration damages the nacre permanently. Steam cleaning is also not recommended. Use a soft, slightly damp cloth after each wear instead.
What products damage pearl jewellery?
Perfume, hairspray, and skincare products — particularly those containing alcohol and acids — damage pearl nacre over time. Always put pearl jewellery on last, after applying any products, and remove before swimming, bathing, or exercising.
How often should pearl strands be restrung?
If you wear a pearl strand regularly, have it restrung every one to two years by a professional jeweller. Silk thread degrades with wear, and the knots between each pearl are there to prevent loss if the thread breaks.
How do I clean pearl jewellery at home?
Use a soft, dry or slightly damp cloth to wipe pearl jewellery after each wear to remove skin oils and perspiration. This single habit preserves lustre over years and is all the regular care most pearl pieces need.
Finding your pearl piece at Orsini
Contemporary pearl jewellery, in the hands of an Italian goldsmith, is a different object entirely from the strand your grandmother wore. The material is the same. The intention is not. What Sarah brings back from Vicenza and Capri each season is pearl jewellery designed for women who dress with confidence — pieces that work with the way people actually live, layer, and choose what to put on in the morning.
Both responses we see at Orsini make sense: the woman who has always loved pearls and is ready to see them differently, and the woman who never considered pearls until she saw what Marco Bicego or Chantecler does with them.
If you’d like to explore what’s currently in the Orsini atelier, visit us at Parnell or browse at Orsini.co.nz . If you have something specific in mind — a particular piece, a particular occasion, or a design that doesn’t yet exist — make an enquiry and we’ll show you what we can create.
Written by Sarah Hutchings
