A Winning PairWhen Anil Maloo, president of Los Angeles–based Baggins, showed strands of South Sea pearls graduated in color and size at JCK Las Vegas, they quickly sold out, so he decided to extend the look to earrings. “I figured everyone who had a strand would want earrings for it,” says the jeweler. To minimize the weight, he set the earrings in 14k gold and gave them a pea pod effect with ­varying colors and sizes of fine pearls, including 8 mm–8.5 mm akoyas, 9 mm–10 mm white South Sea, and 10 mm–12 mm Tahitians. A healthy serving of diamonds—nearly 2.5 carats’ worth—completes the $26,000 pair. Bonus: Maloo finished them a day before the deadline to enter the American Gem Trade Association’s Spectrum Awards, and they took first place in the Evening Wear category. The earrings were also crowned Best Use of Pearls for the entire competition. A client who bought a