Working My Pearls Day 28: Simple and Elegant

Traditional pearl jewelry is very often described as simple, which makes perfect sense. After all the gems are organically grown and are typically strung in simple strands or place in relatively simple settings. When you choose jewelry because you want it to complement an outfit, rather than to stand out from an outfit, pearls are always a good choice. That simplicity is also what makes pearl jewelry a terrific choice for a wide range of situations and attire.

Pearl wearers are often described as elegant, which Merriam-Webster defines as "showing good taste; graceful and attractive; simple and clever". This also rings true - it doubles down on the simplicity factor and adds grace and good taste to the mix. My favorite part of that definition, though, is the reference “clever”.

The consulting business is all about finding solutions to complex problems and finding ways to communicate those solutions in a clear way that people can rally around and act on. A solution needs to be clever to get the job done. It needs to be simple so that people can understand it with little chance for misinterpretation. And it needs to be attractive so that people will rally around it. Coming up with the idea for the solution isn’t the hard part. Getting from idea to simple and elegant communications and actions – well now that’s the tough part. So wear your pearls.