How Many Pearls?

[MaureenAnn]

Can anyone tell me if there is a standard on how many pearls are used in the different lengths of necklaces?

 

[Caitlin]

No, because it depends on the size of the pearls, smaller pearls have more pearls in a strand than larger pearls have. A 9mm pearl strand of 17 inches can be guessed by doing the math. 9mm times x centimeters of length. I can't remember what 17" is in mm, though. And the pearls are often a tiny bit smaller in the back than the front which complicates things beyond my ability to do math. I think you might need algebra or calculus or something. LOL!

 

[Sea Urchin]

Here's a chart for beads per strand, from Fire Mountain (sorry, I wasn't able to save or copy and paste the chart). It wouldn't account for smaller pearls by the clasps or the clasps themselves, but maybe it would give you a ballpark figure, if that helps:

http://www.firemountaingems.com/encyclobeadia/beading_resources.asp?docid=BC36&WT.mc_id=TW120516-01

 

[Caitlin]

This came from the same page

To estimate the number of beads per strand, for a bead size not shown in the chart above, follow this formula:

Just remember that 1 inch = 25.4mm. Multiply the length of the strand by 25.4, and divide by the size of the beads in millimeters.

 

[pattye]

If beads or pearls are knotted between, that complicates matters even more!

 

[pearlescence]

If you want to know, find a picture on a sellers website and count