These pearl earrings demonstrate that sometimes beauty is found in simplicity.
They showcase two hand-carved, square, mid-century pearl buttons made from Mississippi River mussel shells by the American Pearl Button Company of Washington, of Iowa.
READ MORE > Mighty Mississippi River Pearls, Buttonology Blog.
In the early 19th century, exploding boilers were common on Mississippi Riverboats. In 1965, a damaged boiler on the Sultana exploded just north of Memphis, killing more than a thousand recently released Union Army POWs. We named these earrings in honor of those lost in US maritime history's most significant tragedy.
In this piece:
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Shop the collection: Lady Washington Pearls