Frances gives talks about pearls
Frances Carlaw was a WI speaker on 12 Federation lists and a Denman College tutor in Oxford for 7 years.
She has given many talks to a variety of different organisations, before she retired to 15 years in central France
and a more recent permanent move back to Scotland.
Frances now offers various talks with Q&A sessions about Pearls, Fake Pearls, Art Deco jewellery and
the History of Pearls. All aspects of pearls are covered from the science, myths and legends, history
and mystery, jewellery design and famous designers and pearl-knotting. The talks are lively with stories
old and new and illustrated with hundreds of pearls and shells from Frances’ extensive collections.
Frances also brings examples of Art Deco jewellery she has restored and collected over her years in France.
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Frances does not charge a fee for giving her live talks, but asks for her local travel expenses to be covered
and the opportunity to sell her jewellery at the talk without commission, as she donates her profits to
charitable groups, which support the lives and education of the poorest children in Kwa Zulu-Natal in South Africa.
Talk details
There are 6 talks, which Frances gives to groups all over the UK and which have now been adapted for Zoom.
Frances Carlaw is an experienced speaker, theatre-trained, so not afraid of an audience…
She promises you a fascinating and sometimes hilarious glimpse into a world of beautiful jewellery
and mystery through entertaining storytelling.
She is perfectly comfortable to adjust any talk content, or timings to suit individual audiences and groups.
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Talk 1 - A Passion for Pearls
… is ideal for groups new to Frances’ talks. It is a lively, entertaining talk on the history and science of the world’s most secretive and only living gemstone, the pearl. Going back over 5000 years, pearls have been associated with wisdom, power, wealth and beauty. This talk is about what pearls are, where they come from and the history of wearing them. It is illustrated by handling many pearls and shells, with advice on how to look after them.
Talk 2 - Pearls of Wisdom,
‘Fake and Fortune!’
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… follows on directly from the first talk and deepens the knowledge about pearls, and ways to understand more about the real thing and the fakes and how to tell the difference. This talk sets out the history of ‘faux’ pearl-making back to the Roman times and shows the work of important designers in the history of faux pearl jewellery. Frances also talks about the important part that faux pearls had in making pearls accessible to everyone and how, in themselves, they can be very valuable! Audience members are invited to bring their pearls for identification.
Talk 4 - Pearls of the Ancient Worlds, ‘Where Myths and History Meet’
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… this talk takes you back to the dawn of human classical history. The pearls that fan-fared Helen of Troy and the destruction of the Trojan Empire, Julius Caesar’s passion for pearls, which governed his need to extend the Roman Empire and his desires for his mistress. We meet Cleopatra and find out how pearls helped her to seduce Mark Antony, and we finish with extraordinary stories of the destruction of Pompeii and the pearl treasures recently discovered and preserved in the ashes.
Frances makes the stories live and proves how pearls had a part in forming our ancient history.
Talk 5 - Pearls and the
Art Deco
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… an ideal follow-on talk for groups who may have attended any previous presentations. This talk weaves her recent life in rural France with her knowledge of pearls and their history and science. She also brings a collection of Art Deco jewellery, many pieces of which she has found in France and restored, bringing into the talk the most celebrated designers of the Art Deco period. The talk is illustrated by handling many pearls and Art Deco beads, with advice on how to look after them.
Talk 3 - The Queen’s Pearls,
‘Murder for Millions’
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… this is a romp back in time, tracing the history of the most famous and expensive set of pearls the world has ever seen! From the 1500s to the present day, this Multi-Million Pound collection started life as the Medici Pearls but was later owned by Mary Queen of Scots, then Elizabeth I and travelled around many European Royal Houses until the final remaining pearls now reside in the English Crown Jewels. The collection survived several unfortunate beheadings, civil and international wars as well as royal greed and intrigue!
The story is fascinating, historical and encapsulates mystery and murder….
Talk 6 (Zoom talk only) -
Art Deco in
Beads and Buckles
(approx 1 hour plus questions)
… this talk follows on perfectly from any of the preceding talks and introduces the design and manufacture of Art Nouveau and Art Deco vintage buckles and a selection of beautifully made glass beads, from Frances’ collections; she will also introduce the work of some Art Deco designers. Frances combines buckles with pearls, in unique necklaces and jewellery designs and explains some of the engineering behind their construction and some tricks for keen recyclers
and restorers.
(NB: Talks 1-5 can also be adapted for Zoom)
To book a talk or for more information call Frances on 07711 031567
or email francescarlaw@gmail.com
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For offers and pearl chatter join her on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/FrancesThePearlLady