A curated selection of pearl jewellery pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries takes centre stage at Bonhams’ upcoming online auction in celebration of International Women's Day.  

The sale, Powerful & Pretty: Pearls Online, is scheduled for March 8 to 12 and features 60 pearl jewellery pieces, including earrings, necklaces, bangles, rings and brooches in styles ranging from classic to contemporary. The collection offers pieces that can be paired with anything from black-tie attire to casual, according to the auction house.

Emily Waterfall, head of Jewelry, Bonhams Los Angeles, commented, “Pearls have been valued for millennia for their beauty and lustre, but also for the fantastic stories associated with the gem. They are symbols of Aphrodite, Eve and Cleopatra. Historically, they were dangerous to acquire, needing to be brought up by hand from the depths of the sea.”

Rare and costly, pearls remained in the domain of the wealthiest royalty until the 20th century, added Waterfall. 

Highlights of the auction include a necklace in 18-karat white gold adorned with cultured pearls and pavé-set blue, pink and yellow sapphires; and a bracelet in platinum and 14-karat white gold embellished with cultured pearls and diamonds.

“Throughout history, pearls have been important symbols of grace and power, worn by iconic women figures from Vermeer's elusive Girl with a Pearl Earring to Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's to Vice President Kamala Harris at the recent inauguration,” noted Bonhams. “Coco Chanel and Marie Antoinette famously viewed pearls as the embodiment of sophistication, and Jackie Kennedy once said, ‘Pearls are always appropriate.”’ The gem is an absolute essential in a powerful woman's wardrobe.”