The Pearls and Metals
Baroque Pearls
The pearl - the oldest gem - is a symbol of purity, strength, wisdom and love. Their history as an adornment dates back to 420 BC where Persian royalty are said to have worn pearls. In Ancient Greece, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, is depicted wearing strands of pearls as is the Roman goddess, Venus, most notably represented in Botcelli's "Birth of Venus."
Due to their rarity and dangerous methods of sourcing, for centuries pearls were reserved for the elite classes and became the ultimate status symbol. Technological advances in culturing pearls made pearls more accessible as their popularity grew among celebrities and fashion houses.
To this day, pearls remain a quintessential piece of jewellery that represents beauty, sophistication and style.
The beauty of Baroque pearls lies in their unadorned simplicity, whilst their asymmetry keeps them contemporary.
While no two pearls are alike, each pearl is carefully selected based on its colour, shape, luster and size. They are each unique and glorious in their own right - perfectly imperfect.
Years were spent sourcing the most exquisite Baroque pearls and through this process we have developed strong relationships with our suppliers who culture our freshwater pearls.
Metals
At KIKI Bijoux we are always striving to create the most economical yet high quality and long lasting jewellery.
Sterling Silver and Argentium Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver and Argentium sterling silver are both used in our silver jewellery. Argentium is unique in that it has a higher silver content than sterling silver, is more hypoallergenic and is less prone to oxidation. Due to difficulties in sourcing Argentium and its increased cost, only a small collection of pieces are made in Argentium Sterling Silver and they will be indicated.
14K Yellow Gold filled
14K yellow gold filled metal has been selected for its cost effective but durable and long-lasting qualities. Gold filled metal is where a sheet of solid gold is mechanically bonded to a base metal. KIKI Bijoux uses materials with at least 2.5-3 microns of solid gold layer in all of its gold filled jewellery. This is in contrast to gold plating which is made by electroplating a thin layer of solid gold (approximately 0.5 microns) to a base metal by dipping the metal into a chemical solution and zapping it with an electric current that adheres gold ions to the metal. While gold plating can be a more affordable option, it tends not to be as durable and long lasting.
Solid 14kt Yellow Gold
A small collection of pieces will be available in solid 14kt yellow gold. Certain pieces can be made by special request by email to bonjour@kiki-bijoux.com