Finally finished; my gssp necklace

[linda.wald]

I finally finished the necklace. The pearls are from Pearlescence. There are some problem parts, but on the whole it seemed to come out well, except that I fine it a little short (17.5"). If I restrung it with gold beads for spacers, would that make the pearls look washed out in comparison? The neck photo makes them look much golder than they are in real life. Even the other photo does, too, some.

 

[lilliefuzzysocks]

It's pretty, and the color looks great on you. Since you're in LA there are vendors there you probably could get a few more GSSP to fit into your strand to lengthen it. Seeing the pearls you're buying in person is very helpful.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

They're very pretty!

How long did you ideally want the strand to be? If only a bit longer, you could maybe change to a longer clasp that would take up more space (e.g. orbit clasps sold by PP or the similar style sold by Rio Grande).

Or use a clasp with an extender chain for versatility in length.

Or you could use you could restring, putting a few 2mm or 3mm gold ball spacer beads near the current clasp on either side.

Or as suggested above, buy a few extra pearls, depending on the length you prefer the necklace to be.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I notice P-G member/ebay seller Care Ehret (druzydesign) has a few loose GSS pearls; perhaps some might match yours well enough to be at the back of the necklace near the clasp?

https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_od...0&_nkw=(gold,golden)+(pearl,pearls)+&_sacat=0

 

[amti]

You did great! I don't think the gold beads would make it looked washed out, but you can always string on thread first and not knot to see how it looks. laying them on a bead board helps a lot with length and design. A lot of great suggestions on how to increase length mentioned above, too!

 

[JerseyPearl]

You did great! I don't think the gold beads would make it looked washed out, but you can always string on thread first and not knot to see how it looks. laying them on a bead board helps a lot with length and design. A lot of great suggestions on how to increase length mentioned above, too!

Those are lovely! I have a suggestion for you instead of gold beads...try using a citrine rondelle bead of 3mm between each pearl. Knot in between as you would regularly, but the gemstone will add length and a touch of sparkle. You can also space them if you don't want every other bead.

 

[Katbran]

All good suggestions... it just depends on how many inches you want to add. If you need more than an inch and are near to PP then tell them what you need - light gold SS and see if they can pull some for you. Then just take it in and see what matches.

The Gold beads will easily add an inch .. 2 8mm back by the clasp for example. And the large Orbit should add almost 3/4 I would think..check the measurement against the size of the ball clasp.

Did you ask Wendy if she had any more ?

 

[linda.wald]

Thank you for all the nice comments and suggestions! I only want to add about an inch, or maybe 2. I really like the idea of citrine rondelles. I got some sapphire rondelles I plan to use with a different necklace, but I want to keep this one so i can wear it with, say, a purple dress. I hadn't thought of trying to add some more pearls. These have a really nice luster, and work very well together, and would be hard to match. Still, it should be doable. Things to think about.

 

[Katbran]

Well if it's just and inch ..send Wendy a note as she knows the colour and might have more. You will just need one pearl . Or use the large orbit with a single gold bead on either side ..there's your inch .

Or as JP suggested ..use stones. You will just need a few to get that inch.

 

[pattye]

Yay, Linda! Good knotting and love the shape and soft color of the pearls!

 

[linda.wald]

I got some citrine rondelles, and discovered I needed finer thread. But now the thread is small for the pearls, and i'm worried that the knots will be too small. I guess there is only one way to find out... But my problem now is how to start. I don't think the thread will go back through the citrine bead twice. I start by taking 3 beads and going back through each one, knotting them. Then I string and knot the rest of the pearls the normal way, then do the last 3 by going back through them. I don't think that will work with the citrine. Any suggestions?

 

[Katbran]

What size did you buy? If you bought small ones..you might consider using them as spacers between the front pearls and not knot there...so there would be a stretch of maybe 5 inches without a knot. This sort of depends on the size of the beads you have...

If the normal thread will go through the beads then just leave them off at the end . You could always just knot back through two pearls without the gem between .

 

[pattye]

What size are the roundels? Are you saying the regular thread in a very fine needle doesn't fit through the citrine even if you don't double back?

 

[Sanippy]

Beautiful! You did a great job.

 

[linda.wald]

I'm using #2 silk thread, which goes through the citrines once, but not doubled back. The citrines are about 3mm. I decided to start with 2 pearls without the rondelles. It looks OK. I've done a few knots (I do a few then get a bit shaky) and it is mostly working. One knot was too small -- the opening of the pearl went over it for about 2-3mm. I also realized that I will have twice as many knots to do, so this will take a while if I want to do it well. I think it will come out very nice, though. Thank you!

 

[Marianne]

If you have a very fine pointed diamond coated reamer you can slowly and gently enlarge the holes in your citrine beads, Linda.

 

[Katbran]

No one is going to notice that the last two pearls don't have a rondel - I think it's the easy fix. We want a photo when you finish !!

 

[linda.wald]

Update:
I finished the necklace with the citrines just in time for the Ruckus, and ... the clasp broke. So I was grumpy. I returned the clasp (from Rio Grande, they gave me no trouble). Having seen the orbit clasps at the Ruckus, I ordered one of those. I realize now that I should have ordered the large, but the small is not bad. I'm afraid that I didn't take any pictures with the citrines, but I thought they got washed out, and the knots seemed nearly as big as they were. So I ordered some gold beads -- some shiny and some corrugated. I also ordered some beader's secret, but I went on about that in another thread. After a fair bit of temporary stringing, I decided on the corrugated beads. I had 10 of them. Here is the result:



There is one part I left out: The first time I strung it with the corrugated beads, I didn't put the 3 pearls aside for the end. Without thinking, I knotted them all. Realizing what i had done, I undid the last knot, put the clasp on, and doubled back, and glued. Then when I went to wear it on the next day, it came undone. It might have been OK if I doubled back and then knotted, but that would have meant undoing another knot, not an easy task (no pun intended!). I certainly learned my lesson, and the necklace pictured is my 4th attempt -- it is going to have to be good enough for a while, or I'll never get on to other projects!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

The corrugated beads look very nice there in front!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

It looks beautiful and very classy. The corrugated beads add a little texture and interest, I think, contrasting with the pearls.