[knotty panda]

Several months ago I heard Paspaley had a method of stringing pearls that 1) made the knots invisible and 2) had no stretch. Well, I contacted Paspaley to ask how this was accomplished figuring the worst they could say was no, and that's precisely what they said.

However! My sluthing side-kick (not saying who GEMGEEK!) snuck into Paspaley, at their invitation on the tour and got the secret! She didn't know I was hot on the knotting secret trail, shucky darn. Because had I known she was going to be privvy to this information, I would have had her video tape it and get thread samples!

Here's what she wrote me:

"can't even catch up on the posts, there were soooo many while I was away. I thought about you when I was in the Paspaley Pearl grading room. Wowee! Vats of South Sea Pearls as far as the eye can see. And they knot with two double strands so closely that you can't tell that there are knots between the pearls. All the pearls are on one double strand and the second double strand is drawn through and knotted with each pearl. I'm not sure if it was square knotting or two ties in the same direction. "

Can anyone say "carrier line"? Duh! I don't know if it's really a square knot or the larkshead knot I use, but I'll bet it's the larkshead because it's so small.

Now, for the no stretch thing. I'll bet is a synthetic thread of their own composition that might couple silk and spandex (for all I know) something with a stretch memory on the carrier line and silk for the knot line.

The carrier line has to have a stretch memory for the following reason. When pearls are knotted, they are knotted in a straight line. When they are worn around the neck, the distance between the center of pearls (where the knot meets) is elongated which creates the stretch. You don't notice this on small pearls as quickly as you do on the Pattye-sized ones. On the big ones, it's not uncommon to have a huge thread gap between the pearls that entirely disappears when the pearls are worn. So, to accomodate that stretch, they must be using some sort of memory thread. I use kite line or softtouch or beadsmith no-stretch, whatever is handy, but I use threads with no stretch. I'll bet they have some sort of stretchy thread. I'm going to have to experiment.

Thanks Good Buddy!

What about a serger thread? Think that would do it? Anyone else have any suggestions?

[GemGeek]

I've been outed! (Just for the record, that quote was from a private message.) Ooo! I would have video-taped the knotting, but I think that was off-limits. While I was in their operations, I had to ask before I took each photo. And a photo wouldn't be of value with knotting.

I looked at the knotters as closely as I could from about six feet away. If my eyes were lasers, they would have been burnt to a crisp, because I was so fascinated!

[knotty panda]

Well, Hon, you done good. Even if you didn't know I was curiously snooping their methods. Man, I wish I would have known they were going to give you such a rare treat! Of course, now that I've outted both of us no one is EVER getting in their knotting room ever again! But you have definitely given me a good lead. From your description it's definitely the carrier line they are using. I just have to use the KISS principle to think this through. Serger thread is as far as my thinking takes me at this point.

[jshepherd]

Here is a picture anyway...

[jshepherd]

And that thread you were talking about...

[knotty panda]

Here I am screaming! Well, it looks like a serger thread spool, but it truly could be any kind of commercially prepared spool. I'm going to try some serger just because I can't think of anything else to try. I suppose they have you under proprietary secrecy too, Mr. Shepherd! Talk about teasing!

[jshepherd]

Here is a close-up of the knotting room!

[GemGeek]

Good one, Jeremy! Now they'll never let us come back and if they do, the engineering guys will beat us up for using their rope knotting photo!

[jshepherd]

And the #1 Paspaley knotter!

[Valeria101]

Originally Posted by jshepherd

Here is a close-up of the knotting room!

Yeah... but for knotting what ? Fishnet?

And those 'beads' (the other picture). Are whales into pearls lately? Only Paspaley, of course

Thanks for the laugh !

[knotty panda]

HOLY COW! Are those Tahitians or automobile transmission links!

[GemGeek]

Actually, they had a cool device for tightening the knots on the ropes. While I was watching, I was thinking about how I could adapt it for pearl knotting. The ropes are used to tie the buoys that float the nets that hold the growing oysters.

[knotty panda]

LOL! Does Mr. #1 Paspaley knotter use a brass or tin needle? LOL. How funny! I feel so inferior. The knotting room would have been worth the price of admission for me. And meeting Mr. Humbert, I would have done that too. Are you all going to post all your pics? Maybe we might need a pearl-guide MySpace page!

[GemGeek]

Photos are coming. If Jeremy posted all of his, he'd have to add new servers!

[jshepherd]

Those are floats for the long-line system.