There's More to These Pearl Girls Than Jewelry

Pearls are more than gorgeous beads in jewelry.

Beginning as a tiny piece of sand inside the oyster, they transform into elegant creations of time and patient layering. They’re a beautiful representation of life - our individual lives, and, as in a string of pearls, the various instances that add up to our life as a whole. Perfect. Offbeat. Small. Huge. Common. Unique. Elegant. Free. Expensive. Reasonable. Colorful. Fun.

For most cities and towns, pearls are things you buy in a jewelry shop. But Athens, GA is not most cities and towns, and one of Athens’ most adorably charming citizens, India Rows, has taken her passion for pearls and opened the pearl world for all to enjoy through her business, The Pearl Girls.

“I just want women to feel good about themselves,” says India, describing the grain that started it all. “For me, feeling good is having something nice, having a cherished gift given to me as an act of love or appreciation.”

That’s part 1 - the pearls themselves. Even the tiniest one makes someone feel special just wearing it, whether she bought it for herself or if it was a gift for a special occasion.

India travels around the world to personally choose the pearls for her Athens shop (also setting up annual trips where people can join in her experience), and The Pearls Girls jewelry is not strictly strands of elegance displayed on velvet (although there is that - they embrace classic richness that spans generations). It’s all sorts of designs, including unique misshapen pearls and mother of pearl creations with silver, gold and even leather - for all ages and for all tastes, from modest to enough beads to make an oyster farm blush.

In addition to selling pearls, there’s also the history and art and science of pearls. Their website is a reflection of The Pearl Girls’ celebration of pearls and those who enjoy them, with 25 different topics as basic as Caring For Your Pearls to Pearl Farms (domestic and international, river and salt water), The Art of Pearls, Tell Me About My Pearls, The History of Pearls, The Science of Pearls, and The Pearl Girls Stories.

Then there’s part 2 to The Pearl Girls - feeling good while creating the jewelry for others to enjoy.

“For me, feeling good means having the freedom to do what I want and to follow my passion without sacrificing along the way,” says India. “I wanted women to feel good because I wanted to feel good, too.”

The freedom and social interaction of learning, creating and sharing is India’s greatest desire and the secret of The Pearl Girls’ success. It’s led them from their original small office on Barber Street to their new location, a house on Hawthorne Avenue where they have more room to create jewelry and teach classes. They also now have a playroom for children, giving mothers more freedom.

“I wanted a place I could work and keep my kids near,” says India. “I wanted a place with other women that I could create and sell beautiful jewelry with while sharing our stories of life, love and babies... I wanted a group of women free to be themselves, to come together and share and contribute without abandoning their millions of other duties in the process.”

For the past month, the Pearl Girls have poured their passion into their new Hawthorne home, focusing in the moment of turning a dream into a reality like any Athens artist or craftsperson does with paint or pottery, hammer and nails, or a welding torch.

“How do I explain to the people I care about, the business I care about,” writes India in her Pearl Girls blog, “that I am not home, not available and I just really don’t care how much they price jewelry, if they wish to buy more or what our travel arrangements are in Australia. I only care about the light yellow color I was rolling over and over on the walls. I only care about the feel of the paintbrush in my hands. I only care about spackling, screws, capping water and drain pipes, changing locks, painting and refinishing floors.

“I fantasize about children laughing and playing, women talking over making jewelry, over shipping boxes, visitors stopping by, open houses and worldwide travels. My day-to-day business mind has been left behind and I am fully immersed in creation. The creation of my dream, the transformation of this building, the building of this nest which will hold my dreams realized… This is birth, the birth of this dream which will plant the seeds of growth and flourish in the years to come. This is the birth of a dream which began almost five years ago when my son was born.”

For their Grand Opening and Open House to welcome their customers, guests and new friends, The Pearl Girls’ friends and family joined in helping to create their new home for the community.

“This is what I wanted,” says India. “A place where we could do great things, where we could create things to make women feel good and where we could feel good, too.”

548 Hawthorne Ave, Athens, Georgia 30606

Children are welcome. Childcare is available in their play rooms.

Open to the public during regular business hours - but call first to make sure they’re not off on another pearl adventure - 888-870-7390.