Meghan Markle revives Paspaley pearl earrings, spotlighting Australian South Sea luxury

Meghan Markle’s latest Australian appearance sent the spotlight back to Paspaley, and to the reasons a pair of pearl earrings can move from beautiful to fiercely priced. She wore Paspaley Lavalier Circlé Pearls Earrings valued at £8,885 with a Camilla and Marc skirt, a Matteau blouse and Manolo Blahnik heels, in a look tied to an upcoming MasterChef Australia episode scheduled for April 19, 2026.

The repeat wear mattered because it echoed the earrings she first wore during the 2018 royal tour of Australia and New Zealand, including her official departure from Australia. Paspaley now sells a current version, the Opal Lavalier Pearl Earrings, for US$13,150, and the brand says the pearls are untouched Australian South Sea pearls. That is the heart of the luxury case: origin, rarity and the refusal to overwork the stone.

Paspaley’s Lavalier design is built around a story of restraint. The company says the shape is inspired by the nautical ropes and nets used to house pearl oysters after wild divers collect them, and that the setting allows the pearls to be mounted without drilling. For buyers, that detail matters. A pearl that keeps its natural surface intact carries a different kind of appeal than one altered to fit a mount, especially when the selling point is the pearl itself.

The brand’s heritage adds another layer. Knight Frank described Paspaley as a family business founded in 1932 and noted that it held back its natural pearls from sale for 40 years, a strategy that helped frame the house as a specialist in rare material rather than mass-market jewellery. The auction record backs that positioning: in May 2017, a triple strand of Paspaley natural pearls sold at Christie’s Hong Kong for US$2.1 million. That is the kind of provenance that turns a pearl purchase into a collector’s decision, not just a style buy.

Celebrity recurrence also has measurable value. Ultimate Edge Communications said an Instagram post tied to Meghan’s 2018 Paspaley appearance generated 340,394 impressions, 34,401 reactions and 36,223 engagements. In other words, the earrings are not merely being worn again, they are selling the idea of Australian South Sea pearls as heirloom-grade luxury. When the origin is clear, the pearls are untouched and the house has genuine cachet, a high price starts to make sense. When those details are vague, the premium becomes much harder to defend.