A little help in assembling a necklace

[Katbran]

Oooooh I love the colours on those little babies ! Gorgeous colour on the spinel as well ! Off to a great start. I did think that stacking would look better..I think when the pearls are that small the knots take over visually.

 

[CathyKeshi]

Oh so pretty .. can't wait to see more!

 

[Happy Huku]

Cannot help with any technical know how, I'm afraid but am here for the ride! Love the 'blue starter pack' so far and will follow this thread keenly.
All the best...

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Sorry for the lack of update. Never fear, this project has not been shelved.

I finished most of the metal work. The clasp still needs a little work but since I will be working from the center out, that isn't the critical path. Besides, I want to get stringing. So, here are the spacers and the central element. It is all argentium silver, fused and oxidized. Since the texture wasn't showing up very well, I decided to add the patina, which ended up looking quite good with the pearls.




And I swear the studio isn't quite as messy as it looks in the photo.

I also found some adorable little 2.5mm japanese akoyas. But, at $250 each 14 inch strand, it is completely out of the question, at least for now. So, I am shopping around for some gemmy freshwaters, which should be a lot more in line with my budget,

Tomorrow, I start stringing.

 

[GemGeek]

This is exciting. I can't wait to see the next photos. By all means, post photos of stringing in-progress.

 

[pattye]

Lady D,

Oh, soooo exciting! Love the dark patina~how wonderful that you are a goldsmith and can do all the metalwork. I've been playing with patina on silver myself and find it a most interesting neutral with pearls and gems.

With Brazil an amazing source of marvelous gemstones including my absolute favorite, ametrine, how fortunate you are!

 

[MSC]

Really enjoying seeing the process, please keep posting process photos!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I am a gemstone junkie, Pattye. You have no idea... Someday, I will post a picture of my gem stash.

Ok, first two sections of stringing is done. It is pretty slow going, since I wanted a very snug fit. I am working with two strands and the pearls will only accommodate 3 strands (and tightly). So, I string the first strand and then repeat for the second, so there are only 3 strands at the most (the strand that is being threaded enters doubled, because of the needle).

I haven't knotted off these sections yet (I am knotting before and after each metal component) so please let me know if anything is looking wonky or if I should change anything. Getting the right number of pearls on each strand so it all sits properly is sometimes a headache!

 

[BAS]

I am just so impressed! Wonderful to see the process of your piece starting in your mind's eye, then getting drawn on paper, and now actually being created by your hands. Wow!

 

[BrendaPC]

wow this is starting to take shape beautifully! so far so good, i dont see anything "wonky" it looks very even. Cant wait to see more

 

[pattye]

Looking amazing, Lady D! Making great progress!! Are you counting pearls in the sections? Going by the drape?

I'm certain many of us would love a peek at your gemstones~'OTHER STUFF" topic is the perfect place to share things like that, whenever you have time. Many here love colored gemstones.

 

[Narcissa]

Oh I am really liking the look of that.
Thanks for the peeks into the process.

Elizabeth

 

[GemGeek]

I can't wait for more!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Sharing this with you guys is a lot of fun - I love getting the feedback and it keeps me motivated.

I am going by section length - the top strand of the first section is 7cm and I calculated the others based on the radius (school math is useful sometimes!). Then, once the pearls were on, I fiddled with them, adding and removing as necessary, until it sat right on the bust and the spacers all lined up with the fugue point. Next time, I am using straight spacers - the tear drop created all sorts of strange illusions which made things seem crooked.

Yesterday, I finished the second section on both sides. That was a challenge. Not only did the section have to drape right, it also had to line up with the first section, to create the illusion of a continuous strand instead of of several sections together. In the end, I was carefully measuring pearls, trying to find one that was a little slimmer than the average, just to fill the last gap.

And, just to drive my little OCD mind crazy, after I had strung everything, I found out that one of the pearl strands is actually a little smaller than the rest. They are all 3-3.5mm but 5 of the strands I got are averaging 3.4mm while one is averaging 3.2mm. Sure, they are all within range, but it is enough to be visible here. So, they were unstrung and replaced.

Today, I want to finish the clasp so I can finish the stringing.

And, of course, the latest progress shot. I had just removed the necklace from the bust and it wasn't quite straight when I replaced it.

A mandatory bathroom selfie. Balancing a camera and an unfinished necklace, pointing the camera and maintaining a minimum of poise was quite a feat (even if the necklace is a little crooked)!

 

[CathyKeshi]

WOW! That necklace is well on the way to being amazing ... what an accomplishment already!!

 

[pattye]

Making great progress and looking AHH-MAZING in it! Following your process is certainly fascinating. The necklace appears to be very flexible and comfortable. Clearly you are adept at selfies, too!

 

[BrendaPC]

Lady D, This looks amazing!! Will you be making the clasp as well? I think a simple bar clasp with patina would look great to finish up the whole look, cant wait to see it!

And Kudos on this Selfie not an easy thing to do with the threat of teeny pearls falling everywhere!

 

[JerseyPearl]

A stunning piece...again I am in awe of the designer's work!

 

[MSC]

It looks spectacular! Getting the draping right is such a challenge, gotta echo the impressed sentiment!

 

[GemGeek]

And you look like a Greek Goddess, as well as wearing a magnificent necklace!