While AAA-quality pearls garner top grades for their round shapes and virtually flawless surfaces, “baroque”, or irregularly shaped, pearls remain a type to treasure among pearlers in the know. That’s because the freeform-silhouette beauties known as baroques bear marvelously uncommon, organic, and completely unique—even one-of-a-kind—shapes that capture the immediate attention of viewers for far-out aesthetics that pave the way for conversation-starting encounters.

LONG SOUTH SEA BAROQUE PEARL NECKLACE

The word baroque comes from the Portuguese word “barroco,” which refers to a pearl with an elaborate shape. It was during the Baroque era that these non-round pearls were first used in jewelry, hence the name, which doubles as a reference to the luxuriant art and architecture of the period.

SOUTH SEA BAROQUE AND DIAMOND SWIRL RING

Though the nature of baroque pearls is consistently inconsistent regarding sizes and shapes, one metric is guaranteed: baroque pearls will be beautiful and an ideal subject of scrutiny for a designer’s creative eye. Some of Assael’s favorite baroque looks? Pebble-like undulating strands (some offset by tiny gemstones), pillowesque baroque-pearl drops on diamond earrings, and massive boulder-shape numbers that perch regally from mountings doubling as wearable pearl thrones. Plus, the baroque pearls that Assael uses feature some of the most lustrous, mirror-like surfaces on the market in sizes as large as 20 mm per pearl from South Sea oysters.

SOUTH SEA CULTURED BAROQUE PEARL EARRINGS

The orient, or play-of-color, evident in all pearls is further enhanced in baroques through one-off curves that let light dance off surfaces in a majestically silent fireworks-like display of iridescent rainbow colors. For sure, baroque-shape pearls may not be considered perfect by graders’ standards, but their uniqueness in hues and shapes makes them just as collectible (if not more) than their perfectly round-figured friends.

SOUTH SEA BAROQUE PEARL OPERA LENGTH NECKLACE