Kamala Harris’ Pearls: The Pieces She Loves Most, the Viral Converse Chucks and Pearls Movement and the ‘Glamorous But Still Tough’ Symbolism
Kamala Harris is by no means the first political figure to wear pearls. First ladies, Supreme Court justices and senators before her (Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Hillary Clinton and Jackie Kennedy, to name a few) have made the sea stone a wardrobe staple.
It is true, however, that Harris — now the presumptive Democratic nominee for President — has brought new meaning to the jewel since becoming the United States’ first Black, Asian and woman Vice President. Harris’ affinity for pearls dates back to her college days, and in recent years she’s favored modern takes on the classic gemstone.
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Alpha Kappa Alpha
Thrilled to be the commencement speaker this year at my beloved alma mater @HowardU. Here’s my graduation photo for posterity. pic.twitter.com/tiHTvnOSpc
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) March 28, 2017
While studying at Howard University, Harris became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Black sorority in the United States. Founded at Howard in 1908, the sisterhood also counts Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison and Phylicia Rashad as alumni.
Not only are the sorority’s original leaders known as the “Twenty Pearls,” but membership badges are often encrusted with 20 pearls. Harris also sported the organization’s symbolic jewel in her college graduation portrait.
“Pearls represent refinement and wisdom,” Glenda Glover, international president of AKA, told Vanity Fair in 2020. “We train young ladies to be leaders and to make sure they have the wisdom to lead…and that goes hand in hand with the true meaning of what AKA is all about.”
In 2021, Sherri McMullen, owner of the Oakland-based McMullen Boutique, collaborated with four jewelry designers to celebrate Harris’ first 100 days in office. McMullen, a fellow AKA, teamed up with Jameel Mohammed of Khiry, Elizabeth and Kathryn Fortunato of Lizzie Fortunato, Lauren Harwell of Harwell Godfrey, and Kristin and Kofi Essel of Third Crown to “commemorate this momentous occasion.”
“We wanted to create jewelry pieces that each use pearls as the primary motif as a nod to the VP and McMullen’s sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha,” read a statement from Third Crown regarding the collaboration.
Irene Neuwirth
Stars including Elle Fanning, Ariana Grande and Gigi Hadid have favored Irene Neuwirth jewels, but it was the Vice President who helped revive the designer’s business post-pandemic, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“When we see someone wearing our jewelry, it’s always a strong, powerful woman…So Kamala fits right in with our typical clientele,” Neuwirth told the paper in 2021.
One of Harris’ favorite pieces is a pearl and 18-karat gold chain necklace, which she wore while accepting the Democratic Vice Presidential nomination in 2020, as well as in her official White House portrait. A newer version of the piece is priced at $18,000 on Neuwrith’s website.
On inaguration night, Harris wore a custom pair of Neuwirth earrings featuring hexagon step cut diamonds surrounded by small Akoya pearls.
Wilfredo Rosado
Harris was sworn in as vice president wearing a Wilfredo Rosado necklace. South Sea pearls surrounded by halos of 18-karat gold are linked together by small diamonds weighing a total of 0.66 karats.
Rosado sought to subvert the stuffy reputation of the sea stone, with the chain link “representing toughness,” as he told WWD in 2021. “It looks very classic in terms of execution but when you see it in person and the movement, it’s very glamorous but still tough. It’s a bold necklace, not a classic string of pearls.”
“For me this is beyond jewelry, this is beyond a necklace — this is history,” Rosado continued. The jeweler, who founded his business in 2011, has designed pieces for the likes of Mariah Carey, Rihanna and Julia Roberts.
Tahitian Pearls
Tahitian pearls are also a favorite of the Vice President’s. She’s worn a necklace and earrings baring the gem on multiple occasions, including at a Democratic primary debate in 2019.
Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, was one of the first prominent figures to wear black pearls after Tahiti became a French protectorate in 1843. Overseas, they didn’t become fashionable until Salvador Assel — latter dubbed the “Pearl King” — introduced them to Harry Winston in the 1970s.
Stephen G. Bloom, who authored the 2009 book “Tears of Mermaids: The Secret Story of Pearls,” refers to the black pearl as “the renegade pearl, the 180-degree pearl, the opposite of the stereotypical society jewel,” making them the ideal accessory for a groundbreaking figure like Harris.
The Pearls and Converse Chucks Trend
While campaigning for President Joe Biden in 2020, Harris famously paired pearls with her black Converse low-tops. She even wore the sneaker on the cover of Vogue.
The combination went viral. On inauguration day, many women paired Converse with pearls as an homage to Harris’ historic appointment as Vice President. The Facebook group “Wear Pearls On Jan 20th, 2021” helped spark the trend, amassing hundreds of thousands of members in the process. Online, some even coined the date “Chucks and Pearls Day.”
Kamala Harris’ Love Affair With Pearls Through the Years: The Designers & Favorite Styles [PHOTOS]
Launch Gallery: Kamala Harris' Love Affair With Pearls Through the Years: The Designers & Favorite Styles [PHOTOS]
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