No, it’s not the young “M”; but there are no pix of her in her pearls – so here’s Louise Brooks in The Canary Murder Case (1929)
I’ve not yet seen the new Bond movie, Skyfall, but I have been up close and personal with a few of its shiny stars – in the form of the jewellery. The pearl pieces worn by Dame Judi Dench in her performance as M come from the British jewellery company Dower & Hall – and to celebrate their involvement (which was not a case of product placement), they held Bond-themed parties in their London and Glasgow stores a few weeks ago.
M is a mistress of simple style – those streamlined suits, that fuss-free, elegant hair – and Dower & Hall’s Dove Grey Freshwater Pearl Studs and Dove Grey Freshwater Pearl Necklace fit in perfectly with her look. Of course, they are easy for anyone to wear – though personally I prefer my pearls to look a little bit less lonely; apart from a pearl cabochon ring I inherited, I’m not really a single pearl kind of gal. I’d rather stack ’em high like Keira Knightley in Anna Karenina, or drape a string or two over a flapper dress (if I had a flatter chest) a la Josephine Baker.
Stud earrings don’t get my personal vote either: I have my eye on a different pair of Dower & 
Hall beauties, black, grey or white freshwater pearl drops suspended from a (silver, oxidised silver, yellow gold vermeil or rose gold vermeil) leaf which curls up the ear.. (Birthday present buyers take note!) They’re part of Dower & Hall’s gorgeous new Feather collection, and only cost £58.
I’m guessing there were pearls somewhere at the new ROX jewellery boutique which opened in Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms with a truly lavish party a couple of weeks ago. It was difficult to see any of the shop’s glittering wares, as there were so many people there – not only anybody who is anybody in Edinburgh, but a fair few somebodies from Glasgow (myself included).
Pearls, you see, are big news again this winter. Indeed, this seems to be a trend that – like Bond – will not die. I think it’s one you grow into. I couldn’t abide pearls when I was younger, probably partly because it they seemed to be part of the old-lady uniform. Of course, what older ladies know – as I learned when I worked in a jewellery boutique in Paris – is that pearls are perfect against ageing skin as they reflect the light and add a radiance to the complexion.
Film & Style Matters 