The Story Behind... Peacock Pearl Necklace

Here is the story behind a very special piece - the Peacock Pearl Necklace.

Last week we had a mini summer - temperatures nearing 80, no humidity, brilliant sunshine - perfect weather for being OUT. So the kids and I went to the zoo, the park, and played outside as much as we could. On one of our zoo expeditions, my littlest became fascinated with the peacocks. They are allowed to roam freely at our zoo, and frequently hang out around the pavilion area looking for crumbs, standing around, and being gorgeous. Sometimes a male will make his tail stand up, but that doesn't happen too often.


During our lunchtime she kept running off to where several peahens were pecking and wandering around. She was almost dancing when the male of the group showed up. (gander? gathering? flock? What are a group of peacocks called, anyway?) Even with his tail down, he was still shimmering with all kids of color, making the poor peahens seem positively drab by comparison.


Cameras started going off and a crowd gathered when the male made his tail feathers fan out. He stayed that way for several minutes, probably agitated by the crowd, the cameras, and the babies who reached out and touched one of his feathers. (My daughter was guilty of that one) Check him out protecting his group! (Herd?)

Peacock at the Pittsburgh Zoo

Look at those colors! I'm in love with jewel tones, particularly the rich teal color of Mr. Peacock's neck. Then there is emerald green, more blue, even hints of purple and gold in the feathers. I went home that day and couldn't get this guy out of my head, and then I remembered my small collection of peacock pearls. (deep teal dyed pearls, with hints of purple and green)  I didn't have very many, and I loved them, so I knew that whatever I did with them needed to be extra special.

Peacock Pearl Necklace

 Peacock inspiration and peacock pearls. What a perfect match! I decided to make a short necklace, just over 20" long, with a look influenced by the short pearl strands seen on  Mad Men. Mad Men is a TV show about an ad agency and set in the 60's. This is one of my favorite shows and I'm very grateful to NetFlix for suggesting it. Seeing Betty look elegant and put together with her impeccably tailored clothes and pearls, even while relaxing at home, has spurred me to put more effort into my appearance and ditch the sweats a little more often. (I'm a SAHM with two toddlers. It gets messy around here!)

One of my friends has called this piece "The Floating Necklace" since it rests so delicately around my neck, and it truly feels like it's floating. In fact, it's so light that you can barely feel it at all.

Well, there you have it: The story behind The Peacock Pearl Mad Men Floating Necklace. Now that's a  mouthful!

downward spiral

Have you ever heard, "Necessity is the mother of invention?" Well I needed some festive earrings that weren't snowmen or Christmas trees or santas or anything else that could only be worn for a month out of the year. After playing with some vivid red wire and adding Swarovski bling, these were my little invention:

They're almost 3" long and nearly brush my shoulders. They're so light and swingy and definitely festive! They also multiplied like rabbits. Somehow one pair turned into five, with more on the way. I'm now overrun with spirals! Here's the whole collection so far:

From left to right - pale pink with gray pearls, Sterling silver with real amethyst gems, dark blue with sodalite, the original red with Swarovski crystals, and black, also with Swarovski crystals. Get them here.

Speaking of amethyst, did you know that amethyst has been "...thought to control evil thoughts, quicken intelligence, make a shrewd man in business, preserve soldiers from battle wounds, aid the warrior to victory, help the hunter in search of his game, protect the wearer from contagious diseases, and put demons to flight if the figure of a bear is inscribed on the jewel. Amethyst was known as a gem that would bring forth the highest, purest aspirations of human kind. " credit: JewelsForMe

Sodalite, the marbled blue and white stone that accents the blue spiral earrings, also has some positive attributes associated with it. From TrinityLondon: Sodalite is "...believed by some to instill confidence and courage. It is also thought to be a soothing stone which can increase sensitivity to others."

Who knew that stones could have such positive attributes, and, some even believe, actual poweres? Whether they increase intelligence or confidence, semiprecious gems certainly are beautiful.