By Åse Anderson
Autore has created a mesmerising collection of luxury pearl jewellery that combines two of Australia’s most coveted natural treasures: the South Sea pearl and native Australian orchids.
The rare and colourful orchids that grow in the Australian outback are brought to life with the help of graduated coloured gemstones that mirror the natural hues found in the flowers’ petals and stems.
The collection incorporates seven different orchid species, including the elusive Orange Blossom that was once plentiful but can now only be found on the misty ridge tops in Eastern Australia. The vivid Curly Pink orchid, with its distinctive fuchsia petals, is also recreated in bejewelled form, as is the flamboyant Queen of Sheba orchid, which only opens up in sunlight.
Read about the award-winning Orchid Orange Blossom pearl cuff here
These realistically crafted flowers drape seductively on the side of double strand pearl necklaces and bloom on top of diamond-encrusted pearl rings, set with either white or black pearls. The new one-of-a-kind Orchid jewels also include pearl bracelets and earrings.
The Sydney-based jeweller has carefully selected gemstones and South Sea pearls to create a harmonious and complimentary colour palette. After launching a small test collection of orchid-inspired pearl jewellery last year, Autore rolled out a full collection this spring. Autore CEO Rosario Autore said: “Throughout the history of jewellery design, it has always been a challenge to resemble the true, lifelike appearance of a flower, with orchids proving more difficult to portray than any other flowers.”
The orchid has long been regarded as a symbol of love, strength, fertility and loyalty, and the Australian variety displays extraordinarily vivid colours and symmetrical lines that are rarely seen in other orchids.
Rosario Autore said the design brief was to create a realistic representation of different orchids, using subtle movement and graduated coloured gemstones to mirror the natural colours found in the petals and stems. The Autore design team also worked hard to ensure that the size of the flowers were in proportion with the South Sea pearls.
Founded by Rosario in 1991, Autore is one of the largest South Sea pearl companies in the world, creating award-winning pearl jewellery right from the source. The company owns seven South Sea pearl farms on the coast of Western Australia, which produce more than 300,000 pearls every year. Rosario also developed the world’s first comprehensive South Sea pearl grading system, which comprises the five S’s: shine, surface, shade, shape and size.
Autore pearl jewellery was launched in 2003 and is now sold all over the globe, including the USA, Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia. The brand’s core jewellery is divided into three sub-collections ranging from the more casual ready-to-wear Essential range, and the classically feminine Boutique collection, to one-of-a-kind couture pieces. In addition, there are Feature collections that include the Orchid pieces and the Rose Cut collection, which was also launched this year.
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Autore Orange Blossom pearl necklace in yellow gold featuring South Sea pearls and intricate orchids created from gold South Sea pearls and yellow, white, green and brown diamonds.
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Autore Curly Pinks pearl bracelet from the Orchid Collection, inspired by native Australian orchids in white and rose gold, set with white diamonds, rubies and a 11mm white South Sea pearl.
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Autore Curly Pinks South Sea pearl necklace with 93 silver baroque South Sea pearls and realistic orchids crafted from rubies and white diamonds.
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Autore Orchid Curly Pinks pearl ring in rose and white gold set with rubies, white and brown diamonds and a 11mm white-pink South Sea pearl.
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Autore Curly Pink black pearl ring from the Orchid Collection in rose and white gold set with brown and white diamonds, rubies and a black pearl.
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Autore Orchid Orange Blossom pearl earrings in yellow gold set with white, yellow and green diamonds and a 12mm white South Sea pearl.
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Autore Orchid Flora pearl necklace in rose gold set with green sapphires, white, light pink and brown diamonds and Keshi pearls.
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Autore Orange Blossom Boutique pearl ring in white and yellow gold set with white and yellow diamonds and a 13mm white South Sea pearl.
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Autore Orchid Orange Blossom pearl earrings in yellow gold set with white, yellow and green diamonds and a 12mm white South Sea pearl.
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Autore Orange Blossom pearl bracelet from the Orchid collection in yellow gold set with a South Sea Keshi mix pearl, a 12mm gold South Sea pearl and white, yellow and green diamonds.
