[danachit]

Wow, this thread has some great info! I, too, like the polished look of gimp but have had a hard time finding some that won't 'fray' after time. I'm about to place an order for some sterling silver and vermeille (sp?). HOWEVER....I'm not sure which size to purchase.
They offer a 0.8mm, a 1.0mm, and a 1.1mm, I think. I'll be using it with silk and medium sized akoya pearls for a traditional necklace.

Also, I've been looking over all the pearls I've inherited and also some old gorgeous graduated strands of friends and none have gimp....just the silk directly on the loop. Is this common with older pearls?

Thank you!!

Dana

[knotty panda]

The size of the gimp should be based on the size of your thread. You don't want the smallest size gimp with thick thread. You want the gimp to move down the thread smoothly.

[danachit]

Thank you Knotty Panda.... I just checked and I have Gudebrod size D silk thread. It doesn't say squat about it's mm width.
Hmmm......I'm tempted to order the 1.0 AND the .8 and testing it.

[knotty panda]

Or you can go to your local bead store and ask their recommendation.

[danachit]

Thanks! Will do.... The bead shop near me mainly deals in glass beads and craft style bracelets but maybe they'll have some bullion or know about it.

I appreciate you responding. Your posts here on this forum have been so incredibly informative. I can't tell you how much I've learned just in the last 24 hours. (I stayed up LATE reading till my eyes were like ...LOL!) Seriously...thank you for sharing so much.

[knotty panda]

If the price of the gimp is in your budget, go ahead and buy all the sizes. You may find you use it to cover beading wire and other stringing products as well. And thank you for the kind comments.

[danachit]

I've been looking at expensive strands of pearls and they all have gimp. I've dug into the bowels of wholesale finding suppliers and can't find 14K gimp. Do you really think they're stringing these strands on gold plate gimp or vermeil?
Would it make more sense that they are making gimp with 30 gauge 14K wire? Has anyone here tried this? Thank you!!

[knotty panda]

Gimp is not round, it's flat. 14KT wire would not be supple enough to make gimp, not even 30 ga. Rio Grande, who is the probably the most respected jewelry supplier in the U.S., does not carry 14KT gimp (the last time I checked was about 5 years ago). At that time they only supplied base metal gimp. So, I suspect high end suppliers are not making their own, but they are using base metal rather than plated. The vendors on this site all do their own stringing. Ask what they use.

Originally Posted by knotty panda

Gimp is not round, it's flat.

What?? All the little packets of gimp I buy are always round. And it says GIMP on the little packets in big letters too! Gimp is flat? I can't find any real karat gold gimp anywhere either. I use the plated or vermeiled kind and that's okay because it gets tossed and renewed on each restring. Real sterling gimp(?) is ease to find though.

Slraep

[knotty panda]

How many packets do you use? I've only bought two in I guess it must be 5 years and I probably won't have to buy more for another 5 years. One sterling and one vermeil. They both are flat. I must have purchased some plated before. I don't remember the packaging but I do remember how it broke down. Maybe we're getting confused here. The actual gimp itself is coiled, but the wire is flat.

[Caitlin]

I use gold plated or vermeil gimp not only because I haven't found any 14kt but also because the little gimp-loops don't touch the skin. Actually I have yet to see the gold plating wear through, though it will become discolored.

I would rather use sterling, but I get a few restring jobs with gold clasps

Look at the job of restringing done on this one!!!! It is a baroque akoya from the 1940's and shows some wear around the drill holes. I'll take a pic after I am done with it.

[Caitlin]

I was trying to get a macro view of the gimp on my camera, but the battery went low-and those were the batteries I borrowed from my TV remote, so I gotta wait until the recharagables get a charge, grrrr.

I have used several little pakages of gimp in the past year. I buy it in small, medium and large in 14" lengths. Someone who had it in longer lengths was out. I use it to finish everything, even the ones I string on wire. I have done dozens of necklaces in the last 6 months. maybe dozens and dozens and dozens counting all the ones I did over until satisfied. I use fresh gimp every time. No point in trying to save the old stuff, even if it was just done.

[danachit]

This whole thing about 14K gimp has really got my goat! I just can't wrap my mind around using something other than 14 or 18K gold with an expensive clasp. Soooo.....I called GIA and spoke with the person who teaches the pearl course. Could NOT believe what she said!!! "Don't use gimp."

Whaaaat?

Also spoke with the person who does the restringing for a huge national company...she also said there is no 14K gold gimp, that she uses gold plate and if I can find some let her know where....LOL!

So....this leads me to my problem. I am stringing a gorgeous strand of Akoya pearls with a WHITE gold clasp.

My choices are now to either use sterling silver gimp OR do the fun little wrap around the loop like all my old Mikimotos have. I'm leaning towards the silk wrapping on the loop as I've yet to have gimp not begin to fray.

What would you do in this situation? Caitlin...I'm especially interested in your response since I know you use gimp and have high standards!

[danachit]

Bumping back up to the top at the risk of being obnoxious.

Nice akoya pearls, 14karat white gold clasp.

Should I use Sterling silver gimp or none at all. Don't want to take a chance of any fraying of gimp.

Thank you for your advice!

[knotty panda]

Did you purchase the gimp? Yes, it does appear sterling is the best available. I know that flies in the face of the consumer's expectation that if it says one type of metal, everything is that metal. Anyway, sterling gimp doesn't really fray, (I think I used the word fray before) but it does bur when it's cut sometimes. Just make a clean cut with a side flush cutter and you're good to go. Scissors will bur it. Work gingerly with it. Nudge it in and out of it's little case. It looses it's shape easily. If you're careful with it, one little pack will last you through hundreds of necklaces.