Pearly 12 years, Ch. 1-9: Who's Pearly? How did we start?


A heartfelt thank you for your well wishes, we are thrilled to turn 12! I’m happy to report the concept of dialing back to basics and retooling luxury have worked! Pearly is now a niche gem business that’s firmly planted on the ground. We have evolved into a variable and respectable high quality colored gems and jewelry business, amongst the very top tier of the trade, working mostly mine to market. Running this company has given me a reason of being, a source of continuous learning, and a way of sustaining a living. Thank you for your love and continuous support, for believing in me, trusting me and my opinion, honoring me with your special gem hunts and bespoke projects of generations. I pray now Pearly begins to thrive and reach the next level. May there be many more wonderful dreams that come true in life, plenty of gorgeous gems and bespokes pieces we’ll create for you and your loved ones. 

I want to take this moment to tell you more about us, our history, who we are, and what we do. I want to share some insights on our brand, how our work evolved over the years, and I’ll do this in a 9 part extravaganza covering 2007-19. Here's the big 2 questions we always get asked...

 

WHO’S PEARLY? : Yes, Pearl is my birth name! As an old Chinese saying goes for precious daughters, “Pearl in the palm”. Thanks mom. Yes, we sell pearls from South Sea and Tahiti, but it isn’t all we do. I’m a GIA Graduate Gemologist and a colored stone specialist. Pearly is what my friends call me, and I want to be “your friend in the business”. I have my nickname on the door as I wanted it to be personal, with the trust and confidence you’d have of being “looked after” by someone you know. Pearly is about amazing top gems of all kinds, bespoke fine jewelry, and fab couture pieces. It’s a private luxury that’s meant to last for a lifetime and more. Carefully made by great artisans, Pearly is about quality, service, longevity, respect of the craft, creating natural gemstone fine jewelry with pride and soul, and opening a world of custom jewelry to all who seeks. Pearly is about absolutely the best, to love, to be worn, to enjoy, and to pass down. It’s about creating something amazingly precious.

HOW DID WE START? : Dec 2005 I moved from my beloved New York to my native Hong Kong which I left at age 12. With a fresh MA in Art Ed from NYU, after years in design, I taught BFA and Diploma part-time at HKAS, in branding and packaging. It gave me time to develop and build my accessories line - and the jewelry took off! I started with limited editions of handbags, whole CZ rings, and gemstone necklaces with Silver hardware which I have been making since age 15. I used only the best and most interesting materials, worked with top craftsmen to build tiny limited editions. Pearly from day one has been about the finest quality, custom made the right way, and creating the genuine article with spirit - all details are still watched over by me. That’s the DNA of Pearly and it still is today. It’s about the love of design, the gems, the heart, the details, and the know-how to produce excellence. As my aunt once said: “If it’s anything worth doing, it’s worth doing it well”.