Little H Pearl Jewelry

As I explored the floor of the JCK show in Las Vegas, there was quite a buzz about Little H jewelry. “Amy, you just MUST stop by her booth! You’ve really never seen anything like it,” exclaimed more than one friend of mine. My curiosity was most certainly piqued, as I couldn’t imagine what could be done with pearls that was so revolutionary.

Ok — everyone was correct — my eyes opened wide in amazement when I saw what Hisano Shepherd was doing with pearls. She has created pearl geodes!! Look at these rings I tried on! They are filled with black and white diamonds.

little h pearl geode rings
How did she come up with this idea? Well last year she was at the Tucson Gem Show and was quite taken by all the geodes, such as these amethyst ones.

amethyst geodes from the tucson gem show
Having a history in the pearl business, she came up with the idea of cutting a pearl in half, polishing the inside, and then lining them with gems and seed pearls. How cool is that?! Here’s some of the pearls, both whole and cut open, to show you what they look like.

baroque pearls
Hisano uses mainly three types of pearls in these collections: Tahitian, South Sea, and Souffle (which I had never heard of before.). Souffle pearls are grown in such a manner that they are hollow inside. She goes to Hong Kong three times a year to source all the pearls and gems. She cuts each pearl herself, and each stone is handset in her Los Angeles studio, with the assistance of her one assistant. Very labor intensive, to be sure.

I couldn’t help but admire the ombre effect she created in this pendant.

little h pearl geode necklace
Hisano doesn’t want pearls to be thought of as dowdy, and she has really come up with a way to make them relevant for today’s woman. Here are a couple more pieces from her Pearl Geode Collection, including a bracelet and earrings with jackets.

little h 3 pearl geode bracelet in black and white diamonds
little h 3 pearl earring and jacket set with black diamonds and rubies
I think her Finestrino Collection (meaning little window in Italian) is so special. You can see how she has created windows into the pearls, and then filled them with gems.

little h pink souffle pearl finestrino pendant with pink to yellow sapphires
little h white south sea pearl necklace with diamonds
There’s alto the Grotto Collection, where you can see through the whole pearl on the earrings and pendants, and the opening is then gem-encrusted.

little h grotto collection emerald earrings with diamonds
I must say, I had such fun trying on all her designs!

little h grotto rings
And she has not forgotten about the men out there. How about these Tahitian pearl and black diamond cufflinks?

little h tahitian pearl and black diamond cufflinks
Although I think if my significant other owned these, I’d be “borrowing” them and pairing them with an untucked white tuxedo shirt and frayed-hem jeans. Luxe casual!

If you’d like to see more of Hisano and hear about her process, you’ll enjoy this video.

12 thoughts on “Little H Pearl Jewelry”

  1. OMG, I love pearls and I love geodes!! The designer has made an amazing line of very unusual jewelry and it’s just lovely. Interesting post, Amy!!

  2. It never ceases to amaze me at the creativity and creative minds of some people. How AMAZING is this idea ~! I’m surprised I am just seeing this in 2017, since she started this years ago~!

    1. Seriously — SO creative! I know she started few years ago, but I only got to meet her and see her line for the first time at the JCK show. 🙂

  3. I have to say that is one of the most creative and wonderful design ideas I have seen! They are all so beautiful and unique. Love the sparkle and luster of the pieces. Fabulous!

  4. WOW! Just WOW! I am so impressed! Having worked for one of the most established jewelers in San Francisco when I was a college student, I learned so much about jewelry. This is a sensational artist! Thanks for sharing!

    1. How did I never know this about you, Bev?? I’d love to hear about it! And yes, her work is certainly quite impressive.

Leave a Reply to Amy Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *