Hi there—need a distraction from the work week ahead? Even briefly?
If you follow Soft Services on Instagram, you know that the launch of our Theraplush Mother of Pearl Gift Set came with a deep dive into the history, antiques, and stories of nature’s wondrous nurture—and I hope it gave you pause.
Pause, I know, is difficult to earn, and I often feel indulgent granting it to myself. But over the last few weeks, putting Theraplush Mother of Pearl into the world meant letting something beautiful occupy my mind, and with the help of a few guests, I was consumed—not for business, of course, but for pleasure.
What stuck with me:
The Rose Period traced mother of pearl’s iridescence across fine art from periods past. The attention required to manipulate and reflect the material, as the works do so well, exemplified patience—a quality I admire most in others.
Kailee McKenzie reminded me that heirlooms aren’t always inherited. My lineage has passed down dainty gold watches and miniature framed paintings, but the pieces I’ve gathered through vintage and antique hunting carry bloodlines of their own.
Artist Lauren Daccache’s three-part series (part 1, 2, 3) showed that there is always more to uncover. Drawing from museum collections and the New York Public Library Picture Collection, her curation proved that adoration—preserved through filing systems and archives—ensures nothing is ever truly lost.
Catherina of @__s____o taught me that what we often treat as secondary is actually the origin point—that nacre doesn’t simply produce and protect the pearl, but is composed of the very same material as the pearl itself. Her research affirmed that we carry the same beauty as the things we bring into the world.
Mother of pearl made me think about how we choose what to look closely at, and what we let pass by. Seeking knowledge doesn’t always have to feel like discipline or obligation. Sometimes it arrives through curiosity that feels light, following something beautiful just long enough to understand it better.
x Baylee
p.s. Theraplush Mother of Pearl was made in limited quantities, and what remains is going quickly. Consider this permission to indulge your curiosity.
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