PEARL POWER
January 23, 2003, Thursday

Before bling bling and Blahnik, girls dreamed of pearls. But, they also cooked — a lot — and ran carpools, not companies. We’ve said goodbye to those antiquated mores, but why throw out the pearls with the bathwater?

These days, jewelry designers are reworking the old-school status symbol in some decidedly unfussy ways. From affordable to aspirational, princess to punk, we’ve picked some of the best.

Designer Alex Woo offers a fresh take on the feminine ‘50s with delicate bracelets, necklaces, and earrings that feature tiny pearls dangling like charms.