Let's talk about one of my favorite gems today, the pearl (doesn't this oyster look like a vagina?! Sorry, I can't help it!!). This was a really great article in WWD Beauty, about how amazing this "creature" is. The pearl "is created when something enters the shell of a mollusk, typically a parasite, worm, piece of food, or sand. The animal protects itself from the irritant by creating a lustrous nacre-rich casing around it. After about eight years, the layers of nacre create a solid pearl." If the pearl isn't a perfect metaphor for life, I don't know what is; taking the bad and turning it into this beautiful thing. I've always loved pearls, but now that I know the organics of it, I think I love it even more.