If you’re looking for a fun activity that allows you to get creative, let’s you walk away with something custom, and doesn’t revolve around food/alcohol, look no further than Pearl & The Beast. On my birthday, that’s precisely what I wanted. Since I was running a 10K the next morning and had big boozing plans after doing that, my actual birthday needed to be alcohol-free. Plus, custom experiences are pretty much my favorite thing to do. I needed some new jewelry and as a good Southern gal, we know I love pearls – so what better experience than picking my very own pearls and turning them into jewelry on the spot?!
You start by picking your mussel with tongs from the tank at the front of the store. All mussles could produce any color (white, pink, black), but there are four different types: classic (normal size pearls, 15-30/mussel), edison (large pearls, 1/mussel), baroque (non-spherical pearls, 1-4/mussel), and weirdo (could be any shape, 1-9/mussel). Once you’ve chosen your mussel, you shuck it and hand off the pearls to be polished while you choose the jewelry materials. Finally, they’ll put it all together so you’ve got some lovely new jewelry.
My mom got one weirdo, which actually contained an edison pearl that she turned into a bangle style bracelet. I got two edison mussels (you get a hefty discount on second mussels) that I floated very simply on a danty chain. It feels classic but a bit more modern than a full strand of pearls and I’ve been wearing it on repeat. It adds just the right amount of oompf to my outfits.
Most of the metal is costume grade so my Mom and I both chose settings based around sterling silver – we wanted to make sure the beautiful pearls last as long as possible. With three weirdos of very different sizes leftover (from my Mom’s mussel), I made a bracelet so nothing went to waste. It may have been a last minute piece, but I’ve found myself wearing it all the time.
We had a blast doing something totally different – it was such a fun way to spend an hour and and a half of the day. It would also make for a great group event/party so keep that in mind if you’re looking to plan something special for a full crew. We kept our pieces very simple, but what can I say? We’re simple ladies. I’ve seen some really creative pieces in the shop’s IG highlights so definitely check there for inspo if you want to get more imaginative than us. But let’s be real: considering you’re steering this whole process end-to-end, your jewelry is unique no matter what.
Peaches to Apples 