Silver Linings, a sterling silver and gemstone jewelry store located in St. Michaels and Easton, will give every female graduate of Talbot County high schools a strand of freshwater pearls. Each necklace, valued at $75, is finished with a sterling silver clasp.
Aida Leisure, owner of Silver Linings and DBS Fine Jewelers, developed the initiative in 2011 as a way to give back to the community. Now in its ninth year, the Pearls of Promise project has gifted a strand of pearls to over 1,400 young women, Leisure estimates.
Photos: (Left) Cassidy Stewart, presents a Pearls of Promise Necklace to her sister Savannah Stewart, a 2019 graduate of St. Michaels Middle High School. Cassidy was a St. Michales Middle High School graduate and Pearls of Promise recipient in 2014. (Right) Michaela Pinkney is a 2019 graduate of Easton High School. She is a member of NJROTC and hopes to become a dog handler in the United States Marine Corps.
“These young woman will now own and wear a classic piece of jewelry,” says Leisure. “It may be the predominant accessory she wears for professional interviews. It very well could be worn on her wedding day, and she may 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 Pearls of Promise.”
Pearls are symbolic for Talbot County graduates, most of whom were born and raised on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, an area famous for the Eastern oyster. Pearls are formed within the soft shell of certain oyster species.
The Pearls of Promise necklaces will be distributed prior to graduation, allowing students the opportunity to wear their pearls at commencement ceremonies.
About Silver Linings
Silver Linings is a sterling silver and gemstone jewelry store located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in St. Michaels and Easton. Shop nautical and Chesapeake Bay themed jewelry, designer collections, and one-of-a-kind pieces in stores or online at www.silverliningsmd.com. For more information, call 410-745-0266.
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