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Luxury Jewelry Brand Bio: Pearls Before Swine

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Within traditional industry standards purity is an important meter of measurement in determining the value of a cultured pearl. However, an insurmountable amount of ‘imperfect’ pearls are produced and ignored daily. 

In 2006 Himo Martin founded Pearls Before Swine as a means of exploring the significance of ‘flawed’ pearls and other neglected sources of beauty. Taking inspiration from his surroundings, Martin references objects and flora ordinarily foreign to modern jewelry.

While PBS has a Paris wholesale location, the brand’s production remains in Canada where each piece is assembled by only two sets of hands – Martin and his assistant. 

Avoiding foreign or mass-market models of the modern jewelry industry, Martin’s craft is an intimate process in which each layer of fabrication is treated as such. A meaningful relationship with retailers and suppliers is a priority. Pearls are sourced from a trader who happens to be a family friend. Tools borrowed from unexpected trades, like dentistry or chemistry, lend to processes unique to PBS - as seen in delicately textured details, sliced diamonds and pearls, or the electroplating of precious metals. 

By not subscribing to the standard fashion cycle, Martin instead takes the time to build collections that act as chapters in a larger narrative - composing a versatile yet seamless aesthetic that has gathered a word-of-mouth, gender-neutral cult status since its inception.

Faithful to Martin’s muse, white Akoya and black Tahitian pearls are seen throughout each collection. Foraged from the remains of a family home, a nail and chain-link compose the forged metal collection and are reimagined in various forms. A thorn’s motif is relived as it is cast in various shades and textures of .925 sterling silver or 14k-18k gold. Even diamonds appear in a nonconforming format, raw or sliced, precious yet unpretentious. 

The pieces that comprise Pearls Before Swine represent a perfect union between delicate and rugged form, developing a luxury brand that instills the value of raw beauty and brings a touch of renegade flair into the culture of fine jewelry.