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thank you thank you! my reward for all that hard work, is that I get to do it again! julie.;)

Today I was finally successful in stringing a strand of the diamond beads. I used Beadalon size .010 and it held up very well, no fraying, etc. But what a pain to string these little beauties! I would have loved to used the 49 strand .012, but it was just too thick for these. I have a few...

gosh y'all, that's a heck of an accusation to make off of only a couple of photographs. We all know that there is no universally accepted standard for grading pearls, so one company's AAA rating might be another's A. Personally I have never come across an 11mm Akoya, but 6mm Akoya earrings...

Thanks everyone for the input! I just spoke with a bead store owner who sells thousands$$ in diamond bead necklaces, and he recommends .010, .012 or .013 Beadalon so that's what I'll try next. As Dawn pointed out, getting the beads over the needle is the problem, so true! I will let you...

Thanks Dawn, sounds like I'm going to have to go with a beading wire, which is what I wanted to avoid. In salt air where I live all those beading wires will eventually rust, and they kink. I have been hoping to find a thin kevlar thread or something similar, so far no luck. I'm wondering if...

I picked up some beautiful diamond beads (not chips) and am having a wicked time stringing these. I would prefer to use a thread over a beading wire, so was wondering if anyone has had any success stringing these little beauties? I am down to a single strand of .004 Dandyline, and am still...

How do you know they're Akoya? julie.

Hi Karen - I would go for quality, not just the company name. It doesn't really matter which type/color you start with - you'll love the one's you choose AND you'll be back for more! So dive on into the pearl pool, the water feels fine! .julie.

well sir, you certainly succeeded in doing just that! I was quite impressed with what I saw, thanks for sharing. .julie.

no whites with metallic luster? julie.

Lay Away Idea Lay Away Idea I offer lay-away in my business, and have for years. But I handle things differently than the industry norm, because I control the payments. The customer can choose how long the term is, from 2 months to 6 months. I keep a copy of their credit card and once a...

Consumer protection Consumer protection There is an alternative to the Jewelers Vigilance Committee and that is the Jewelers Ethics Association. Consumers with complaints can contact them thru their website www.jewelersethicsassociation.com .julie.

Anyone have any tips and hints on the best lighting/equipment to use to capture the color and luster of pearls? this is something I've been struggling with for quite some time, and am thinking of purchasing a photo light box from www.mkdigitaldirect.com I'm looking at the Gem-eBox. Does...

thanks for posting the photos! I was there, and can tell y'all the pearls were amazing. I found prices to be down since Tucson, particularly the goldens. Guess I didn't win the item I bid on! .julie.

Oh, yeah. I too would have restrung that piece. Even if the little, tiny, barely noticable mistake was at the very end of the piece. Customers are paying to have something done correctly, and it's part of my job to make sure they get what is expected, and more. Beautiful work, well done...

anyone know the name of that new pearl book that's coming out? Cortez pearls had a copy at the booth in Tucson. I don't remember the title, author or publisher! But I think Enrique said it's coming out in the fall. thanks julie.

Yes, Nimesh and Manish, that's them. They claim their pearls are Japanese in origin. Everyone else claims Vietnam. Doesn't matter to me their nationality, they're beautiful. Also at GJX I came across some over-processed dyed pearls claiming to be the akoya blues. Fakes are already out...

Hello Everyone - sorry I didn't join y'all for the pearl walk. Attended Elizabeth's lecture (loved the opening photo!) but had to get going right afterwards. Too many places to go and people to see. I sat across from Jack and spoke to him about the souffle pearls. I understand they were a...

what's going on with the metallic color? Any ideas how that's being achieved? julie.

Hi Dawn - my gut reaction to the photos is also 'bead' and not pearl. The color and luster is too even, the drill holes too big, the surface is too smooth and clean, etc. I too have had people bring me 'family pearls' that are only 'family plastic beads'. Not easy to break the news to them...