Stringing Tutorial with photos: Stringing on Serafil, Beaders Secret & Power Pro

[Pegleit]

Here they are. The first pearls…

 

[Pegleit]

I think my gimp work needs a lot of work.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I think my gimp work needs a lot of work.

Well done! They look beautiful!

The gimp loop is a little large, but it's not a big deal.

I like to use fine size (0.8mm) vermeil gimp that I buy from Fire Mountain Gems. The flexibility of the tube makes for small, neat loops.
Link: https://www.firemountaingems.com/itemdetails/h202129fd

For the same reason I use sterling silver 0.8mm gimp when I use white metal clasps. https://www.firemountaingems.com/itemdetails/h202132fd

 

[Pegleit]

Well done! They look beautiful!

The gimp loop is a little large, but it's not a big deal.

I like to use fine size (0.8mm) vermeil gimp that I buy from Fire Mountain Gems. The flexibility of the tube makes for small, neat loops.
Link: https://www.firemountaingems.com/itemdetails/h202129fd

For the same reason I use sterling silver 0.8mm gimp when I use white metal clasps. https://www.firemountaingems.com/itemdetails/h202132fd

Aha! I wasn’t sure if there were different sizes. Thank you! That will help. It seemed large to me. And yes, sterling would be good with white metal clasps. I bought some at the same time. I hope it’s not too large, as well.

I already got a job from a friend! LOL! When I showed her my pearls, she asked me to do two strands for her! I might get good at this!

 

[Pegleit]

Just checked - the gold vermeil is 0.7mm, the silver is 1mm! Guess I’ll be buying new silver gimp. 0.7in the gold should be finer than 0.8 but it looks big. Is there smaller?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Just checked - the gold vermeil is 0.7mm, the silver is 1mm! Guess I’ll be buying new silver gimp. 0.7in the gold should be finer than 0.8 but it looks big. Is there smaller?

Actually the links I posted are for the 0.8mm gimp in both colors.

 

[Pegleit]

Actually the links I posted are for the 0.8mm gimp in both colors.

Thank you!!

 

[pattye]

Very well done, Pegleit! I would never have known this was your first stringing work!

 

[Pegleit]

Very well done, Pegleit! I would never have known this was your first stringing work!

That’s very encouraging, thank you Pattye! That posted video really helped a lot. Especially, the last few pearls. Great idea, taping them down so you have that “3rd hand”.

 

[jeg]

Hurray! Now you can enjoy wearing it, Pegleit!

 

[Pegleit]

Hurray! Now you can enjoy wearing it, Pegleit!

Thanks jeg. I wore it yesterday and got many compliments, as well as a job to do a friend’s pearls. She has 2 strands that need restringing. Looking forward to seeing them.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

CatMom posted a thread asking how to restring when the strand is divided into a white half and a Tahitian half.
Here is the thread:

How Do I Restring a Half and Half Strand?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

My daughter's golden SSP necklace needed restringing; it was strung on silk and gaps had formed. I bought this necklace for her at the East Coast Gem, Mineral and Fossil show before the pandemic. Since my husband got the Tahitian stand that we originally bought for her (and she refused), it seemed only fair to replace it. And she LOVES these golden SSP! Yet she is indifferent to most other pearls. Go figure!

These are slightly lighter and cooler gold color than mine, but we both think they suit her skin tone well.

I started the job, using 20# (heavy) Gold Serafil with a Fine wire needle (both from Pattye's Etsy shop), with my daughter looking over my shoulder-- but pretty soon she got the yen to do a few knots herself-- and then she just kept going until she finished it! She did a good job, too.

In the shade:

In the sun:

The gold pinch-type clasp that came with the strand was a bit small for the size of the pearls, so I cannibalized the large gold/diamond clasp I bought from PP back in 2007, which was on my color shifting pearls. I'm going to do something else with those pearls. Maybe a long station necklace, with other beads, or maybe a bracelet; not sure yet. I wasn't reaching for them in their current form.

The clasp I took off her GSS will go on a Tahitian strand my husband really likes (so I gave it to him). He can't manage the fiddly little box clasp that is currently on that necklace. I'm going to restring that for him soon. Here is how he looks with that necklace. The new clasp won't make it longer; he likes the length as it is now.

This is more restringing than I have done in years, but it's like riding a bicycle-- you don't forget how to do it. Muscle memory takes over.

With spring on its way, it may be a good time to look over our pearl necklaces and see if any of them need restringing. Even if you haven't strung anything before, or haven't done it in a while, give it a try!

 

[CatMom]

My daughter's golden SSP necklace needed restringing; it was strung on silk and gaps had formed. I bought this necklace for her at the East Coast Gem, Mineral and Fossil show before the pandemic. Since my husband got the Tahitian stand that we originally bought for her (and she refused), it seemed only fair to replace it. And she LOVES these golden SSP! Yet she is indifferent to most other pearls. Go figure!

These are slightly lighter and cooler gold color than mine, but we both think they suit her skin tone well.

I started the job, using 20# (heavy) Gold Serafil with a Fine wire needle (both from Pattye's Etsy shop), with my daughter looking over my shoulder-- but pretty soon she got the yen to do a few knots herself-- and then she just kept going until she finished it! She did a good job, too.

In the shade:

View attachment 468137

In the sun:

View attachment 468139

The gold pinch-type clasp that came with the strand was a bit small for the size of the pearls, so I cannibalized the large gold/diamond clasp I bought from PP back in 2007, which was on my color shifting pearls. I'm going to do something else with those pearls. Maybe a long station necklace, with other beads, or maybe a bracelet; not sure yet. I wasn't reaching for them in their current form.
View attachment 468136

The clasp I took off her GSS will go on a Tahitian strand my husband really likes (so I gave it to him). He can't manage the fiddly little box clasp that is currently on that necklace. I'm going to restring that for him soon. Here is how he looks with that necklace. The new clasp won't make it longer; he likes the length as it is now.

View attachment 468141


This is more restringing than I have done in years, but it's like riding a bicycle-- you don't forget how to do it. Muscle memory takes over.

With spring on its way, it may be a good time to look over our pearl necklaces and see if any of them need restringing. Even if you haven't strung anything before, or haven't done it in a while, give it a try!

Wow, gorgeous goldens and the Tahitians look great on hubby. I tried to get my hubby to wear some and he refused. Just not a jewelry guy.

 

[BWeaves]

Wow, gorgeous goldens and the Tahitians look great on hubby. I tried to get my hubby to wear some and he refused. Just not a jewelry guy.

More for you!!!!

And those goldens are gorgeous.

 

[2thdktr]

My daughter's golden SSP necklace needed restringing; it was strung on silk and gaps had formed. I bought this necklace for her at the East Coast Gem, Mineral and Fossil show before the pandemic. Since my husband got the Tahitian stand that we originally bought for her (and she refused), it seemed only fair to replace it. And she LOVES these golden SSP! Yet she is indifferent to most other pearls. Go figure!

These are slightly lighter and cooler gold color than mine, but we both think they suit her skin tone well.

I started the job, using 20# (heavy) Gold Serafil with a Fine wire needle (both from Pattye's Etsy shop), with my daughter looking over my shoulder-- but pretty soon she got the yen to do a few knots herself-- and then she just kept going until she finished it! She did a good job, too.

In the shade:

View attachment 468137

In the sun:

View attachment 468139

The gold pinch-type clasp that came with the strand was a bit small for the size of the pearls, so I cannibalized the large gold/diamond clasp I bought from PP back in 2007, which was on my color shifting pearls. I'm going to do something else with those pearls. Maybe a long station necklace, with other beads, or maybe a bracelet; not sure yet. I wasn't reaching for them in their current form.
View attachment 468136

The clasp I took off her GSS will go on a Tahitian strand my husband really likes (so I gave it to him). He can't manage the fiddly little box clasp that is currently on that necklace. I'm going to restring that for him soon. Here is how he looks with that necklace. The new clasp won't make it longer; he likes the length as it is now.

View attachment 468141


This is more restringing than I have done in years, but it's like riding a bicycle-- you don't forget how to do it. Muscle memory takes over.

With spring on its way, it may be a good time to look over our pearl necklaces and see if any of them need restringing. Even if you haven't strung anything before, or haven't done it in a while, give it a try!

Beautiful strands-- both the goldens and T's. I love the new clasp on the goldens and good on your daughter for knotting it herself! I still can't do it! I also hate the ball clasps that came with every necklace bought from PP (and others). I have tried to have them replaced with magnetic clasps when ever re-strung. My hands don't like many clasps theses days.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

@2thdktr,
I have to admit I don't like the ball clasps very much either.
I'm messaging you...

 

[Pearl Dreams]

@jshepherd,

Does PP offer any magnetic clasps as an option? If not, I think it would be helpful for many buyers. They need to be easy to use but secure enough for heavier strands.

Edited to add:
Or maybe a 14K gold version of these bean shaped pinch clasps that Gem Packed carries in silver?

https://www.gempacked.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=bean

A lot of folks have difficulty with traditional clasps, especially as we grow older. Fingers become stiff or arthritic; many people have limited range of motion. I have to put magnetic clasps on all the strands I knot up for my husband. He even struggles with the interlocking oval clasps. He finds them too slippery.

 

[CortezPearls]

@jshepherd,

Does PP offer any magnetic clasps as an option? If not, I think it would be helpful for many buyers. They need to be easy to use but secure enough for heavier strands.

A lot of folks have difficulty with traditional clasps, especially as we grow older. Fingers become stiff or arthritic; many people have limited range of motion. I have to put magnetic clasps on all the strands I knot up for my husband. He even struggles with the interlocking oval clasps. He finds them too slippery.

Jeremy might take a day to answer since he is coming back from the Hong Kong show. He should still be on a plane right now.

 

[BWeaves]

I also dislike the ball clasps. I like the look of them, but the actual workings are too fiddly. The "tongue" needs to be more robust.

I've replaced all my clasps with either fancy clasps or orbit clasps, and even the orbits are getting a bit challenging for me.