Seed pearls have been used for jewellery for a long time. A seed pearl is defined as a small round or nearly round pearl which is generally less than 2mm in diameter. Seed pearl jewellery was particularly popular in the 19th century but was also found in the 18th and early 20th centuries.. The work required to produce it was delicate and time-consuming but resulted in quite beautiful pieces.

There are different types of seed pearl jewellery made during this period. One type is illustrated in the photo of a brooch at the top of the post and the earrings below. The flower gold brooch is set in gold while the seed pearls have been threaded on thin gold threads. The floral earrings, which were bought separately but which look as if they belong with the brooch, have been constructed in the same way. They are typical of Georgian Spanish or Italian construction.

19th century seed pearl earrings

At the beginning of the 19th century until around 1840, a different type of seed pearl jewellery was constructed, often consisting of full or demi parures, and comprised completely of seed pearls. They might consist of a necklace, two bracelets, two earrings, a brooch and a corsage. Demi parures like the one below might just comprise earrings and a necklace. The way the pieces of jewellery were constructed was to cut out a pattern on a thin plate of mother-of-pearl. The mother-of-pearl plate was then pieced to show where the seed pearls were to be attached. Then the pearls were attached using white horsehair. Horsehair from a living horse was used as it was finer than normal silk thread. When the threading was completed, the fittings were attached. The smallest seed pearls came drilled in bunches from China, slightly larger ones from India.

Georgian demi parure

You can see from the photo above and below that some repairs are needed to the pieces as some of the thread has broken and a few pearls are missing. Fortunately, there are expert restorers who can repair and replace what is lost.

19th century seed pearl and amethyst brooch

After the mid 19th century, seed pearls were used for different types of jewellery, namely, mourning and sentimental jewellery, and I will talk about this type of jewellery in my next post.