Our story

About Alivy Jewels

Alivy began with a simple frustration: the pearls we loved most were the ones the jewelry trade set aside. Too ridged, too uneven, too unusual to match into a strand. So we started collecting them.

Today we still choose every baroque pearl by hand, design each piece around the shape it arrived in, and pack every order ourselves. Close enough to the work that nothing leaves us without being looked at twice.

How a piece is designed
Designed around the pearl
We never start with a sketch. We start with the pearl: its weight, the way it hangs, the side that catches the light. Then we measure, test settings and adjust by hand until the metal follows the shape instead of fighting it.
Our pearls
Chosen by hand
Every strand, drop and stick pearl is laid out and sorted by eye. We look for luster first, then overtone, then character. Most of what we see, we pass on.
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How we show our jewelry
Displayed simply
We keep our displays quiet: clear stands, soft light, plenty of space. Nothing competes with the pearl, so you see each piece the way it will look when you wear it.
How we pack
Packed like a gift
Every order is packed by hand. Each piece is wrapped in its own pouch so nothing scratches the nacre, boxed, and finished with a thank-you note, ready to give or to keep.
Gift sets

No two are alike, and that is the entire point.

A round pearl is a pearl that behaved.

Most of the pearl trade is built on that idea: grading scales, matched strands, certificates confirming that one pearl looks much like the next. Uniformity is the product.

We went the other way.

Every pearl we work with is baroque: irregular, ridged, asymmetric, shaped by the mollusc that grew it rather than by anyone's idea of what a pearl should look like. The ones the industry grades down are the ones we look for. A ripple across the surface. An overtone that shifts from green to lavender as you turn it. A silhouette that refuses to sit flat.

Grown in water, not made in a factory

Our pearls are grown, not manufactured. They form slowly inside living molluscs, layer over layer of nacre, and the shape each one arrives in is a record of how it grew. Nothing is molded, cast, or coated to imitate a pearl.

We buy in small lots and select by hand. Luster comes first: the depth of reflection that makes a pearl look lit from within rather than polished on the outside. Then overtone, then shape. Most of what we see, we pass on.

Made by hand, one at a time

There is no other way to work with a baroque pearl. No two drill the same, no two hang the same, and a setting that suits one will not suit the next. Our pieces are finished in sterling silver and 18k gold plate. The hand-beaded necklaces are strung on silk.

What this means for your order

The piece you receive will not be identical to the photograph.

We would rather say that plainly on this page than bury it in the small print, because it is the reason to buy from us at all. Your pearl will have its own ridges, its own overtone, its own silhouette. Set it beside the one in the picture and you could tell them apart. That is what you are paying for.

In the One of a Kind collection there is only one: photographed exactly as it is, sold once, and then gone.