Bucking the trend – the pearl classic

Today, we would like to address one of our favourite topics – pearls belong in our range and are not subject to any trends. Unfortunately, many jewellers see things differently.

Very few of you will know that, in addition to our wide and exclusive range of jewellery, we also have an exceptionally large selection of South Sea cultured pearls. This is a huge area! A good 25 years ago, interested jewellers or jewellery brands still purchased the most beautiful lots (larger quantities of pre-sorted pearls) directly from the farms and harvested these valuable natural treasures from island to island. Since Covid, at the latest, digital commerce has developed, become more professional and even become fully established.

Cultured pearls from the South Seas are considered the queens of pearls and have always embodied the finest, most feminine jewellery. Almost every woman loves pearls, which is why we always offer the best quality and the widest possible selection of these natural treasures. However, it takes years to find the individual pearls for a precious necklace.

We only consider the finest and most exclusive materials of the highest quality (AAA quality). We always adhere to the five quality criteria of lustre, shape, colour, surface and size. In technical terms, these pieces of jewellery are certified as having a high lustre, a perfect round shape and a surface that is 95% free of growth marks. The thickness of the fine aragonite plates deposited concentrically over the years is crucial for a highly refined lustre.

Once the exclusive pearls have been found, we craft the precious, unique pieces into a necklace in our studio with great passion and attention to detail.

The classic pearl necklace captivates with its timeless elegance and always gives its wearer a unique charm. Here we present a particularly exquisite example from the Kobler Zug collection. It features 25 flawless pearls of identical colour, lustre, surface and horizon. These result in a perfect progression from 16 mm to 20 mm and a retail price of CHF 1,000,000.00.

It all started with a single 20 mm pearl. A fascinating natural treasure and the largest pearl in today’s necklace. It was also a half-serious idea to ‘make a necklace out of it’. In the end, however, we took apart several lots and finished necklaces several times, added individual pearls and repeatedly purchased rare pieces at auctions directly from farms, but also from dealers with old stocks. The necklace was examined in our studio using a wide variety of craft tools and under different lighting conditions, compared, and in some cases even waited for the perfect angle of sunlight to eliminate individual pearls – that is, to ‘downgrade’ them to the highest standard. When, after an intensive search, the last matching pearl for this piece of jewellery was finally found, we were far from finished with our work. Today, we also offer a set with identical criteria, i.e. necklace, earrings and ring with a single pearl.

High-quality, valuable pearls are mainly produced in Indonesia, Australia, Tahiti and Fiji. Over the last few years, Kobler Zug has specialised in purchasing cultured pearls in Australia. Australia is known for breeding particularly large pearls up to 20 mm in white, pink and silver. A pearl necklace measuring 15 mm or more is very rare and appeals to our collector’s spirit. One of the most beautiful types of pearls in the world comes from Broome, for example. The Pinctada maxima, the silver-lipped pearl oyster, thrives on the largest tidal range in the southern hemisphere. The shell, which can grow up to 30 centimetres in size, achieves its exceptional size and strength thanks to the many nutrients washed up by the extreme currents. And it is this shell that made the town of Broome the pearl capital of the world. It takes years to put together a necklace of 16-20 mm or even 17-20 mm. Thanks to our direct contacts in the South Sea cultured pearl industry and the associated large – indeed unbeatable – range in our shop, Kobler Zug can even be called the market leader in Switzerland. The high demand and good sales confirm our passion and our daily work.

The pearl, a true natural treasure
The pearl is one of humanity’s oldest cultural treasures. The earliest finds of mother-of-pearl inlays date back to around 4500 BC in Mesopotamia. The Phoenicians are considered to be the first pearl traders. They established the traditional trade routes for pearls, which led from India via the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf to the eastern Mediterranean coast.

The triumph of cultured pearls, also known as farmed pearls, has largely replaced natural pearls, which have been valued and revered for thousands of years. However, there is still a small, exclusive market for these unique natural wonders. One of the most important areas for finding natural pearls is the countries of the Persian Gulf, with Bahrain as the trading centre – a region that can look back on a pearl tradition dating back thousands of years. These unique jewels, grown without human intervention in the depths of the sea, are still harvested and traded in many other places around the world, but production is very small, which makes them all the more exclusive and expensive. Natural pearls can often be purchased in the form of antique jewellery, which regularly fetches sensational prices at auctions. We also have a small collection of natural pearls in our studio.

On the one hand, we are motivated by our collector’s gene. The search for rare treasures has a long tradition in our family. Always on the move to the most spectacular sites where the rarest crystals can be found, we were influenced by our family, and our enthusiasm grew with us on our many mountain tours to distant countries from an early age. As a result, we now have a great deal of passion, attention to detail and an immense wealth of knowledge. Realising a vision of a piece of jewellery with a pearl or gemstone requires patience, creativity and enormous expertise.

The final step, stringing and knotting a pearl necklace perfectly, requires a great deal of skill, sensitivity and experience. We are currently passing on the former to our apprentices within the team. However, each pearl knitter must gain the experience herself.

If the pearls in your necklace have a little too much play, or if the individual knots are no longer secure, bring it to us. We will be happy to take care of it.⁠ ⁠As these natural treasures are made of organic materials, they are often sensitive to water and soap. They also do not tolerate heat well and require very special care.

We would be delighted to advise you on all aspects of pearl jewellery in our studio. Whether you would like to enquire about a unique piece handmade especially for you, or because your own treasures are in need of more thorough care once again. We look forward to welcoming you to our studio at Rigistrasse 5 in Zug and showing you our collection of the finest pearl jewellery.

To conclude this newsletter, take a look at these high-quality South Sea cultured pearls in classic elegance and variety.