Paspaley trunk show - NYC, October 2023

[SparklieBug]

Thank you taking us along, @yssie! I especially love the cicada pieces. I’d wear those in a heartbeat. Also lo-o-ove the Megisti bracelet. Amazing.

 

[yssie]

Update!!

So they found a pearl for my ring!! The most perfect pearl I okayed it within 60 seconds of getting the video. My SA said she'd already turned another option down for me, and that this was definitely The One.



Super exciting news!!!!


BUT.

She texted me again a couple hours later to explain that unfortunately she had missed earlier that this pearl would add about $10k USD to my total cost...





I said I was open to a nice near-round, button, or circle as well. I'm not wedded to a sphere for this ring - it will be beautiful and unique with other pearl shapes too.

So we'll see. On the one hand I'm annoyed that a year ago I could apparently have gotten a gem 15mm for 10k less than I'd pay this year. On the other hand, I'm not even terribly surprised to be honest - I knew prices were skyrocketing and when I was first told the price for this ring I actually thought it was rather a good deal, both a ring and a pearl for that cost...Nope, no good deals to be had

One thing's for sure, I'm very very very very glad I bought my gemmies back when I did!!

 

[katbran]

Thanks you so much for the wonderful tour ! A good friend and client went to Broome for a few days get away and on a whim bought a Kimberly rope necklace and one of the MOP pendants. The Pendant is beautiful- the carving is perfection. The Kimberly is a bit close in design to what I used to make back when I did lots of wood and pearl pieces so it didn’t have a wow factor for me but I will say the pearls used were gorgeous.

As to your pearl - I totally understand the disappointment with the price increase. It’s a total shock . Seriously everything South Sea is up like 2.5x in the past year ! It’s not just discouraging for retail buyers but for we wholesalers as well . It’s sad that it’s priced so many things totally out of reach even with my low
Markup. I just don’t see the prices dropping anytime soon.

I would suggest Yssie that you look for a Button - specifically A High Button. Perfect for a ring and farther down the price ladder of Round ,Near Round , Drop then…. Button . Maybe even Triangle depending on the setting but they would know best what will fit .

 

[MakingTheGrade]

One thing's for sure, I'm very very very very glad I bought my gemmies back when I did!!

Amen to that!
It’s looking like the one WSS I own will be the only one I own for a looooooong time

 

[yssie]

Thanks you so much for the wonderful tour ! A good friend and client went to Broome for a few days get away and on a whim bought a Kimberly rope necklace and one of the MOP pendants. The Pendant is beautiful- the carving is perfection. The Kimberly is a bit close in design to what I used to make back when I did lots of wood and pearl pieces so it didn’t have a wow factor for me but I will say the pearls used were gorgeous.

As to your pearl - I totally understand the disappointment with the price increase. It’s a total shock . Seriously everything South Sea is up like 2.5x in the past year ! It’s not just discouraging for retail buyers but for we wholesalers as well . It’s sad that it’s priced so many things totally out of reach even with my low
Markup. I just don’t see the prices dropping anytime soon.

I would suggest Yssie that you look for a Button - specifically A High Button. Perfect for a ring and farther down the price ladder of Round ,Near Round , Drop then…. Button . Maybe even Triangle depending on the setting but they would know best what will fit .

I thought the Kimberley pieces looked quite ordinary on the website but I’ve got to say I loved them in-person, they’re so nicely balanced. Between the pearl shapes and the wood colours and the gemstone beads - I see the appeal now. I tried to do something similar with a pair of WSS and some sandalwood beads but it doesn’t work… It looks unbalanced and OTT. I remember you saying you used to make these sorts of pieces! If you have any recommendations for improving mine please share!

The pearl - it is disappointing! But it’s hard to be toooooo annoyed: I could have bought last year and I chose to prioritize other things instead, and if I could go back in time I would still prioritize those other things. And I’ve got so many beautiful pearls already - most of which I probably couldn’t buy now.

WSS are catching up to akoya distressingly quickly What really bugs me about THAT is that it’s not due to oyster scarcity, it’s just the market responding hyper-aggressively to increased demand, and, like, c’mon people

I’m curious what they come back with. The ring is such an organic design, for me the real limiter isn’t aesthetic, just Shape-That-Will-Work-Within-The-Designed-Space. Even a baroque would work in looks. Well, for me, Paspaley might wilt at the thought

 

[yssie]

Paspaley has found me a pearl for my ring!!! It's off to the workshop

It's a 15-16mm button - a little wider than the original gem quality round. My SA assures me that luster and surface are impeccable

It's got strong pink overtone but a little less blue, so the overall effect is a lighter body with less "purple". And I'm (a bit strangely to be honest?) completely okay with the off-round shape, less vertical protrusion isn't a negative in a ring and more importantly the three-dimensionality of the pearl isn't critical to this ring's design.




Better pic of the button's shape -

 

[Alybird]

Paspaley has found me a pearl for my ring!!! It's off to the workshop

It's a 15-16mm button - a little wider than the original gem quality round. My SA assures me that luster and surface are impeccable

It's got strong pink overtone but a little less blue, so the overall effect is a lighter body with less "purple". And I'm (a bit strangely to be honest?) completely okay with the off-round shape, less vertical protrusion isn't a negative in a ring and more importantly the three-dimensionality of the pearl isn't critical to this ring's design.




Better pic of the button's shape -

The pearl is gorgeous!!

And I love the cute Christmas nails.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Yaaaaaay!!!! Can’t wait to see the ring and your photos of it! It’s going to look so lush and amazing on you

 

[CMN]

Any update on your ring? I was just looking on the Paspaley website and thought of you.

 

[yssie]

Any update on your ring? I was just looking on the Paspaley website and thought of you.

ETA is end of March!! If that ETA is accurate it’ll be ~7months from initial request to delivery. Which sounds like a longer time than it feels like it’s been, somehow!

 

[yssie]

She's here

15mm button WSS - it's noted as GEM on my receipt and I'm (happily) surprised, I just assumed non-rounds couldn't be considered gem quality!
79 diamonds, 1.30ctw
86 sapphires, 2.20ctw

 

[yssie]

- - - - - - - -



- - - - - - - -



- - - - - - - -



- - - - - - - -

 

[yssie]

- - - - - - - -

This pic with the phone 'cause the camera battery died - this is how I intend to wear it. But I was optimistically conservative on sizing, turns out, so I'm going to have to find a ring snuggie...



- - - - - - - -



- - - - - - - -



- - - - - - - -

Sliver-of-sunlight and strong-sunlight

 

[newtojewels]

It's perfect and so is your photography! What incredible colors in the pearl and in the stones. And the underside is just as much of a work of art as the top! Do you love it?

Thank you so much for allowing us to live vicariously through you with all of your beautiful pieces and detailed photos of them. I know I'm speaking for everyone here when I say it's really a privilege!

 

[CMN]

Exquisite. With the pearl mounted you really can’t tell that it is a button - it looks perfect.

I hope you love it.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Yssie. Yssie!!! You are killing me with this ring. You have some exquisite works of art in your collection, but dare I say…. This one is the most beautiful. In the first pictures I didn’t comprehend the scale! The huge glorious otherworldly pearl. My god I’m having heart palpitations! I cannot handle it all! The whole design is just to die for.

Now, where are you going to wear this thing?? You will need to attend kore award shows!

 

[SparklieBug]

- - - - - - - -

These two photos take my breath away! So perfectly beautiful!!!

If you had an art-gallery-style showing, I would purchase tickets to be there, and just ogle the sheer beauty of all your pieces! Yes, I would bring smelling salts so I would stay upright...

 

[Catmom]

Wow, what a stunning work of art! Everything about it is visual perfection. I am dying here..................sigh.

 

[lovedogs]

oh my god. it's art. it's so elegant and perfect on you!

 

[yssie]

@newtojewels That's so sweet!! Thank you!! It's such cheerful piece, the sapphires are so rich despite their size - the colours totally steal the show

There are so many little things about this ring that... How do I describe it? They could have made design and fabrication so much easier for themselves by not doing some of this. But they did anyway and I appreciate that so much

Like. The gemstones don't end where the one leaf overlaps the other - they continue all the way underneath. Even though they're not visible at all, except from some really contorted viewing angles. I imagine most vendors wouldn't have bothered

And the colour gradients are painstaking, I tried to take some pics with the loupe - that single tiny purple sapphire on the tip if the leaf vein right in the middle of the loupe is basically invisible IRL, if they'd just used blue I wouldn't have given it a second thought...






And the orange to yellow to green!! With that microscopic deep cognac sapphire right at the tip of the leaf!!






And... The baguettes/carre cuts, they could have made them all the same width but they aren't, they expand and wave - and every single stone is calibrated pristinely, no empty space between stones, no stuttered jumps in size, no mounting machinations...

 

[newtojewels]

@newtojewels That's so sweet!! Thank you!! It's such cheerful piece, the sapphires are so rich despite their size - the colours totally steal the show

There are so many little things about this ring that... How do I describe it? They could have made design and fabrication so much easier for themselves by not doing some of this. But they did anyway and I appreciate that so much

Like. The gemstones don't end where the one leaf overlaps the other - they continue all the way underneath. Even though they're not visible at all, except from some really contorted viewing angles. I imagine most vendors wouldn't have bothered

And the colour gradients are painstaking, I tried to take some pics with the loupe - that single tiny purple sapphire on the tip if the leaf vein right in the middle of the loupe is basically invisible IRL, if they'd just used blue I wouldn't have given it a second thought...






And the orange to yellow to green!! With that microscopic deep cognac sapphire right at the tip of the leaf!!






And... The baguettes/carre cuts, they could have made them all the same width but they aren't, they expand and wave - and every single stone is calibrated pristinely, no empty space between stones, no stuttered jumps in size, no mounting machinations...

Oh it just gets better and better! What a dream piece! Your photos highlight how well pieces can be made when someone has the skill and is allowed to take the time to fully execute to their abilities. And how wonderful that you know what it takes so can really appreciate it and show the rest of us so we can appreciate it too! The gradients and colors and shaping are just sublime -- and the pearl is too, of course!

 

[newtojewels]

Now I'm looking at their entry-level pieces, and these look like pretty alternatives to VCA Alhambra:

Megisti in MOP for the same price as the MOP Vintage Alhambra:


And Maxima for much less!

 

[adlgel]

That is truly one of the most gorgeous pieces of jewelry I have ever seen. What a unique edition to your already one of a kind jewelry box. Enjoy every second wearing it @yssie!

 

[Cinders]

Stunning! Ohmygoodness, this is really stunning! Congrats on the lovely finished piece.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Omg omg omg. It’s a DREAM

 

[Ann]

- - - - - - - -



- - - - - - - -



- - - - - - - -



- - - - - - - -

World Class! Stunning!

 

[yssie]

Exquisite. With the pearl mounted you really can’t tell that it is a button - it looks perfect.

I hope you love it.

So… I meant to respond in some sort of timely manner… But good intentions an’ all… It’s end of the fiscal quarter at work

Thank you I really do love this piece. A few years ago I’d have said a big bold colourful ring like this was Way Too Much For Me. So that’s changed

I know this will sound lunatic but visually the mount is just so much more interesting than the pearl, the pearl is really ancillary! It actually isn't completely clean, it's got a "dent" on top that doesn't show up in stills except if the light hits a specific way - more visible in video and IRL. I asked Paspaley and they explained that they call it a “lily pad”, common in buttons, due to the pearl being compressed inside the oyster as it formed… It’s the sort of thing that by all rights should bug me immensely. Especially as I didn't know about it. But given how secondary the pearl is in this piece - I can't be bothered to summon any angst. I feel like a big pearl in a ring is pretty much doomed anyway, why do I care if it starts out imperfect, y'know?

Well, part of me does wish I'd just gone with a ringed circle and embraced the #wild. Who knows though, I'd probably have regretted that for some other reason




The smaller pearl is my 14mm gem board pearl from a couple years ago. The new button is actually has superior luster! More gloss and more contrast. The colour diff is interesting too, I don't think this photo really encapsulates the difference I see IRL, the smaller is noticeably warmer but it's not a yellow warmth if that makes any sense? Both work on my colouring but I imagine most PSers would prefer the cooler

 

[yssie]

Yssie. Yssie!!! You are killing me with this ring. You have some exquisite works of art in your collection, but dare I say…. This one is the most beautiful. In the first pictures I didn’t comprehend the scale! The huge glorious otherworldly pearl. My god I’m having heart palpitations! I cannot handle it all! The whole design is just to die for.

Now, where are you going to wear this thing?? You will need to attend kore award shows!

Thank you!!

I keep saying I'm done with pearls - I'm really almost done with pearls now A juicy ring was one of the last "big" things I'd been wanting!!

I'd originally wondered if I shouldn't order in rose gold, I don't wear much yellow, but Paspaley's YG is so mellow somehow. Just a small step past unplated WG. I'm glad I went yellow, I think it's a more neutral background for the sapphires.

So I've got an old Tiffany pink sapphire bracelet that pairs perfectly - the pinks are perfectly matched But no idea what to do for earrings, I assumed I'd use pearls but it doesn't work, too much big bulbous blob all over

But that's a project for another time!

 

[LilAlex]

OMG that is so sensational! I had no sense of the scale until you showed it on the hand. What an absolute treasure! And I love the ombre/gradient ordering of the hues of the sapphires!

Another "high jewelry" high-water mark for the @yssie collection!

May I ask: who made the ring? Or did I miss that among all the lovely photos?

 

[CMN]

Having seen some pieces from the rain bird collection at their HQ, I know exactly what you mean. The design and execution is beautiful.