The Deep Significance Behind Kamala Harris's Pearls
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When Kamala Harris was sworn in January 20 as our country’s first woman, first Black, and first South Asian vice president, she wore a strand of pearls by Wilfredo Rosado. Just as she, and Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor who swore her in, will inspire generations to come, Harris pays homage to the women she admires through her choice of jewelry. Pearls are a symbol of her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and she wears them as a symbol of solidarity with her sisters. “Family is my beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha,” she said. That reference to her AKA sisters underscores the sorority’s lasting influence on the California Senator’s life and leadership style.
AKA was the first African-American Greek-letter sorority, and its founders are referred to as the “Twenty Pearls.” Pearls have long been the emblem of the sorority, and every new member is given a badge with 20 pearls.
The AKA sisterhood has been called Harris’s secret weapon. AKA has more than 300,000 members, and its sisters are rallying support around Harris, our country’s first woman of color to be nominated as vice president on a major political party’s ticket.
When critics called Harris “too ambitious” during the vice-presidential vetting process, AKA’s president Glenda Glover was quick to respond, saying that AKA exists to encourage Black women to achieve. Harris has shown her loyalty to AKA since 1986, when she graduated from Howard University wearing a pearl necklace and earrings, and she’s worn pearls for each and every one of her significant public appearances since then. It’s a wink to her sorority sisters and a reminder of the pioneering women who established AKA.
The stylish 55-year-old Harris clearly knows how to dress elegantly and ensure that she is taken seriously. She defined her signature style early in her career: crisp, well-cut pantsuits in dark colors and neutrals—and always with her signature pearls.
But she doesn’t just favor classic white strands. Harris is true pearl lover and has appeared at official events wearing a black Tahitian pearl necklace, a double strand of white pearls and, an Irene Neuwirth gold chain necklace with pearls, which she wore while accepting the Democratic vice-presidential nomination August 20.
For Inauguration Day, her team approached New York-based jewelry designer Wilfredo Rosado to create a pearl necklace that was “strong and modern.” Inspired by the chains worn by hip-hop artists, Rosado crafted a an 18K gold link necklace, set with Australian South Sea pearls, that appear to float within each link, alternating with diamonds.
Harris is not the first woman in politics to sport a strand, politics and pearls have long gone together. Both politicians and first ladies, from Jackie Kennedy to Nancy Pelosi and Michelle Obama, have overwhelmingly chosen simple pearl necklaces for official engagements. Even Mary Todd Lincoln wore a Tiffany’s pearl necklace to her husband’s Presidential inaugural ball.
Pearls have been tied to our notion of femininity since ancient times. In ancient Greece, the goddess Venus was said to have been born from the sea and was often depicted emerging from a clamshell. Over the ages, pearls have represented purity and virginity, and in modern times, a strand of pearls conveys that the wearer is dependable, ageless and measured. (The stones are much more discreet than diamonds.) A strand of pearls connotes a subtle sense of confidence and elegance, and says you want to make sure the conversation is about your agenda, not your appearance.
As the first Black woman and South Asian woman vice president, the entire world has taken notice of Harris and we expect to see a lot more of Harris, and hear her pearls of wisdom.
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