Silver Linings, a sterling silver and gemstone jewelry store with locations in Easton and St. Michaels, recently gifted every female graduate of Talbot County
High Schools a strand of freshwater pearls. The necklaces, valued at $75, are hand-knotted and finished with a traditional sterling silver filigree
Aida Leisure, owner of Silver Linings, developed the Pearls of Promise initiative in 2011 as a way to give back to the community. Now in its fifth year, Leisure estimates close to 800 senior girls have received a strand of pearls thanks to Pearls of Promise.
“We chose to give pearls to Talbot County’s graduates because they are timeless,” says Leisure. “Each girl will now be able to own and wear a classic piece of jewelry. It will most likely be the predominant accessory of the outfit she will wear for professional interviews. It very well could be worn on her wedding day, and she could even pass the necklace on to a child in future years. Even if she never purchases or receives another piece of fine jewelry in her life, she will always have her strand of pearls.”
Pearls are also a symbolic gift for Talbot County graduates, most of whom were born and raised on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, an area famous for the Chesapeake Bay oyster. Pearls are formed when foreign material slips between an oyster’s shell and mantle. The oyster reacts to the irritant by covering it in layers of iridescent nacre, eventually forming a pearl.
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