Pearl Vision

Whether they fall into the something old, new or borrowed camp, pearls are the fail-safe ladylike wedding-day adornment. But they’re no longer just for traditionalists. Tiffany & Co.’s conch and diamond chrysanthemum brooch works the dramatic side of flora, carved as it is with petals set to move en tremblant. Cynthia Bach deploys a conch pearl to create a wearable objet d’art, serving as both pendant and brooch. At Van Cleef & Arpels the message is think big, as with a ring boasting a huge gray Tahitian pearl flanked by heart-shaped diamonds. And Bulgari indulges in the opulence of a choker in which pearls play against gold and pavé diamonds—certainly worthy of the phrase “to have and to hold.”