At the Inauguration, Pearls Transcended Tradition 

A simple strand of pearls has long been associated with the traditional, feminine style of first ladies; shrewd, stylish senators; and sharply-dressed lawmakers across the country. It is a piece of jewelry deeply entrenched in American fashion history, exemplified by the women who wore them best: Jackie O, Barbara Bush, and Hillary Clinton, to name a few. And yesterday, the first Black, South Asian woman vice president, Kamala Harris, cemented her place in that pantheon when she wore a modern, sculptural design by Wilfredo Rosado to the inauguration. Last night, while virtually celebrating her momentous place in the new administration, Harris also accessorized her black sequin dress and matching longline coat by Sergio Hudson with a pair of pearl-embellished diamond statement earrings from jeweler Irene Neuwirth. Her pearls also symbolize her beloved sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. 

Harris has helped to reinvent the idea of political pearls over the last year, more often than not choosing a colorful or contemporary iteration to pair with her beloved Converse and jeans, or a beautifully tailored suit. To honor her historic appointment yesterday, many men and women wore their own pearls while snapping selfies and posting to their social media feeds. Among them was celebrity stylist Karla Welch, who paired her classic necklace with a baseball cap featuring the number 46 in honor of President Joe Biden. 

Aside from Vice President Harris, there were also plenty of other women at the inauguration who chose the symbolic pearl. Representative Barbara Lee, the congresswoman from California’s ninth district, tweeted that she wore a pearl necklace that once belonged to Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress and the first Black woman to run for the Democratic presidential election. And in a more subtle mode of accessorizing with thoughtful pearls, Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman paid tribute to Maya Angelou by wearing a piece of jewelry that was gifted to her by Oprah. Designed by Of Rare Origin, the ring featured a bird inside a gilded, pearl adorned cage, a reference to Angelou’s poem “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.” And then of course, there was J.Lo., resplendent in suffragette white and a pair of statement pearl earrings from Chanel. 

Yesterday, pearls transcended the traditional and became more political and stylish than ever. The inauguration was about optimism and hope, strength and relief. It was a moment where politics and fashion meshed together in a way that was bright, bold, and innovative. Everyone was overjoyed—no, elated—and the clothes and accessories reflected that. Pearls will always symbolize ladylike sophistication but now, in their most artful and meaningful designs as seen at the inauguration, they’ve come to symbolize a kind of forward motion too. 

Below, here are 14 necklaces, rings, and earrings that transcend the classics, in honor of Vice President Harris and all the women wearing pearls into a future filled with possibilities.