No brand embodies cool minimalism quite like Shihara, which has mastered the art of clean, simple silhouettes. Jewellery follows geometric cues – think delicate, golden cubes hugging the earlobes and symmetrical signet rings – and, on the whole, is faithfully monochrome. Where, then, do pearls fit in?
‘With my Shihara collection, I purposely limit myself to using only yellow gold, white gold, platinum and some diamonds and pearls – and no coloured stones,’ says Shihara’s founder and designer, Yuta Ishihara, of how he maintains the brand's distinctive design codes. ‘When I came across these 3.5mm high-quality Akoya pearls from Japan, I felt the size and aesthetic fit the Shihara collection perfectly.’
The new collection, ‘Node’, pairs strings of these delicate pearls with 18ct yellow gold clasps. The clasps, which hold the pieces securely, can be positioned however the wearer sees fit, creating fluid necklaces, bracelets or earrings.
‘My jewellery design for Shihara is about incorporating the hardware and fittings into the designs of the pieces,’ Ishihara says. ‘Hardware such as necklace clasps and backs of earrings are often standardised, and their designs and functionalities are rarely addressed. When I design, I like to reexamine the functionalities of the hardware and incorporate that function into the design by redefining and reimagining the way it is worn. You can see this in my new ‘Node’ collection, where I have developed a rectangular gold clasp that can be secured around a strand of pearls to be worn as a necklace or bracelet as well as the gold earring clasp that can be fitted onto the pearl strand to create a pearl earring that can be worn in multiple styles.’
Working with pearls offers Ishihara a greater design flexibility. ‘It allows me to design new forms that I might not be able to achieve using only gold,’ he adds, ‘as well as allowing more range in pricing, as the price of gold is quite high right now.
‘Some of the challenges I have come across include ensuring stable sourcing of pearls – finding pearls that are the same size, colour and quality. Also, constructing them into jewellery pieces requires highly technical skills, as even simply threading 3.5mm mini pearls can be quite difficult.’
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