Pearl choker, 'Summer Dream'

NOVICA, in association with National Geographic, offers thousands of limited edition and one-of-a-kind gifts, jewelry, and home decor treasures handmade by master artists and artisans throughout the world. Lovely as a dream, pearls cluster on a suede choker by Caterina Butera. She combines the gems in green and white, attaching them with silver settings. The necklace fastens with a silver clasp. .950 rating silver Artisan Info: "I was born in Lima on August 25, 1972. My history with jewelry began practically at birth. As a child, I couldn't wear earrings because my ears weren't pierced (my father didn't want this done) and I'd ask my mother to look everywhere for clip-on earrings, very difficult to find in those days, as there were almost no designs for children. Each time she'd find a pair for me, I'd take care of them like gold, even more than I looked after my dolls. When I was a little girl, I liked to create all kinds of bracelets and necklaces in all colors. Whenever we'd go to visit someone, the only thing I cared about was that person's jewelry chest. I always asked them to show me the pieces they had and I could look at them for hours. "When I was 12, for my birthday, I was able to get my ears pierced. The whole family gave me earrings and from that day on, I don't think I ever stopped wearing them. Even when I had surgery three years ago, I asked them to leave my earrings in place. "In school, I'd do abstract style drawings that always ended up as jewelry. Then I entered