You can hardly talk with a jewelry fan for any length of time without the subject of birthstones coming up. Since I was a little girl, I have been gifted lockets, earrings and gold plated adjustable rings with emerald colored glass. I never got the real thing, unfortunately. That's where the connection to birthstones started for me and maybe for you too.

Last weekend in Denver a woman was telling me of her deep love for pearls because it is her birthstone. (My husband is a June baby and does not have the same connection, but his mother does!) I too, have a deep love for pearls that almost rivals my love for metal. Maybe I love them because they look like metal? Maybe it's because they come in a huge variety of colors and shapes? Maybe it's because they are so mysterious... some little ocean creature covers a small irritating pebble with a beautiful, magical substance that makes them smooth and shimmery and irresistible.

I've used small white and pink button pearls as accents in my jewelry designs for many years and have recently been inspired to branch out. I love the gray Tahitian pearls with pits and lines and rainbows. The Edison pearls are beautifully iridescent with warm peachy, yellowy tones. South Sea pearls are soft pale yellow and the Fireball pearls look like little comets. The rustic and organic surfaces that I select to use in my work contrast beautifully with the smooth, industrial style of my metalwork.

I hand select the pearls and have my own pearl drilling machine so that I can drill them leaving the most beautiful part exposed. If I leave the drilling to the pearl seller, they will assume I want to cover up the part of the pearl that has the most texture.

So, June baby or not, let's honor the noble pearls this month in all their grit and glory!