By Claire Roberts
Harrods will be celebrating the forthcoming Pearls exhibition at the V&A museum with a showcase of contemporary pearl collections by some of the world's most renowned jewellers, all of which will be available to buy during the event (read more about the exhibition here).
Running concurrently with the exhibition, which opens on 21 September, visitors will find London's historic department store filled with pearly treasures of every description. A total of 14 brands, including Mikimoto, Piaget, Chanel and Cartier, are preparing for the one-off event by gathering their most impressive pearl creations and transporting them to Harrods, where they will be displayed alongside each of the boutiques within the Fine Jewellery Room until the exhibition closes on 19 January 2014.
Among the many remarkable pieces that will be on show are a ring and earrings from Boucheron's one-of-a-kind Victoria collection, set with rare pink conch pearls (read more about conch pearls here), select pieces from Cartier's new Paris Nouvelle Vague collection, a Bulgari lariat necklace set with thousands of tiny seed pearls and a one-off creation by Mikimoto called Pearl Streams. A bejewelled body piece that can be worn as a sash or a belt, it will be taking centre stage in the Fine Jewellery Room, housed in a bespoke cabinet.
Harrods will be handing out postcards throughout the event, which entitle visitors to an exclusive discount on the ticket price to the Pearls exhibition. The V&A is just a short walk down the Brompton Road from Harrods, so I advise stopping by to admire the pearl jewellery on display first before heading to the museum with your postcard for this major retrospective of pearls through the ages.
To find out more, and book tickets for, the Pearls exhibition at the V&A, which runs from 21 September to 19 January 2014, click here.