Lola by JLL Pearl

Lola is the freshwater pearl labradorite necklace I made by pairing two strands that don't usually belong together. A long fall of 10mm white freshwater pearls alongside a shorter choker of 6mm labradorite beads — worn together, always. The contrast between them is the point: soft and mineral, warm and cold, organic and precise.

The connector

At the centre, I placed an oval connector in oxidized silver. Moreover, I set it with fragments of sapphire — small shards of blue that catch light unpredictably against the dark metal. Because the labradorite already shifts between grey and blue, the sapphire pieces feel like a continuation rather than an addition. They hold the centre together.

The closure

Lola closes with a lasso system. Furthermore, this means the length stays in your hands — worn close to the collarbone or left to fall lower on the chest, depending on the neckline and the moment. Both strands follow the body naturally. Therefore, Lola works as well with a simple shirt as with bare skin.

I designed this freshwater pearl labradorite necklace slowly, letting the two strands find their balance before fixing the connector in place. Still, it was the labradorite that guided me — the way it holds its colour back in flat light and releases it in sunlight. As a result, the piece reads differently from one hour to the next. In this way, it reflects how I work: by hand, in Greece.

Lola arrives in its JLL Pearl pouch with a certificate of authenticity. Because I work with natural stones and pearls, no two pieces are identical.

Materials

• Pearls: freshwater cultured pearls, 10mm, white
• Beads: labradorite, 6mm
• Connector: oval, oxidized silver, set with sapphire fragments
• Closure: adjustable lasso
• Handmade in Greece by Patricia Mulko