LunaCaribe
New Member
- Joined
- May 12, 2026
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It is worth repairing?
- Thread starter LunaCaribe
- Start date
Pearl Dreams
Pearl Enthusiast
They are baroque akoya pearls.
If you like them enough to want to wear them, why not restring them yourself? Many of us restring our own pearls. It's not hard, it saves money, and you get to rearrange them however you prefer, or shorten them if you wish. You can even change the clasp of you don't want to reuse that one. (But it's not hard to get the tarnish off silver-- I'll describe it in my next post).
Once you learn to string, you can apply the skill to any other beaded type necklaces you may own, now or in the future. Here is my tutorial on stringing:
If you like them enough to want to wear them, why not restring them yourself? Many of us restring our own pearls. It's not hard, it saves money, and you get to rearrange them however you prefer, or shorten them if you wish. You can even change the clasp of you don't want to reuse that one. (But it's not hard to get the tarnish off silver-- I'll describe it in my next post).
Once you learn to string, you can apply the skill to any other beaded type necklaces you may own, now or in the future. Here is my tutorial on stringing:
Pearl Dreams
Pearl Enthusiast
Here is how to get tarnish off silver or gold jewelry (gold can tarnish if the alloy contains metals that tarnish).
I use Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, a laundry booster that is much more alkaline than baking soda. (Washing soda is sodium carbonate; baking soda is sodium bicarbonate.).
Use a non-reactive container (i.e. not aluminum; I use tempered glass measuring cup (Pyrex) but a steel pot of bowl will work too).
Line it with aluminum foil.
Boil some water, 1-2 cups, depending on how many things you are going to clean. Have another bowl handy with tap water for rinsing the items afterward.
Protect your eyes--put on safety goggles.
Pour the hot water into the container and add 1-2 rounded tablespoons of washing soda. Stir to dissolve.
Add the tarnished silver or gold items. They need to be in contact with the aluminum foil for this to work.
A chemical reaction will result-- you'll hear and see fizzing, and smell a sulfurous odor, which is the tarnish coming off.
After a while, remove the items using tongs or a fork. If there is still some tarnish, put it back into the solution.
Then remove it and rinse it. If you still see a bit of tarnish, it's easy to rub it off with a bit of baking soda (a mild abrasive) and/or an old soft toothbrush.
Caveats:
1. Don't put pearls, opals, turquoise or other soft gems into this solution.
Also, don't put in any stones that could be damaged by thermal shock, e.g. if they have inclusions that could make the stone crack if heated this way.
2. Don't use this with plated metals.
3. Sometimes the patina of tarnish in crevices of vintage pieces is attractive and desirable. This cleaning method will remove it. In that case you'd be better off using a chemically treated, mildly abrasive polishing cloth, of which one example is a Sunshine Cloth. (That brand of cloth comes in different colors depending on how abrasive you need it to be (blue is the gentlest, yellow the most common, pink the roughest. Available on Amazon and elsewhere.)
I use Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, a laundry booster that is much more alkaline than baking soda. (Washing soda is sodium carbonate; baking soda is sodium bicarbonate.).
Use a non-reactive container (i.e. not aluminum; I use tempered glass measuring cup (Pyrex) but a steel pot of bowl will work too).
Line it with aluminum foil.
Boil some water, 1-2 cups, depending on how many things you are going to clean. Have another bowl handy with tap water for rinsing the items afterward.
Protect your eyes--put on safety goggles.
Pour the hot water into the container and add 1-2 rounded tablespoons of washing soda. Stir to dissolve.
Add the tarnished silver or gold items. They need to be in contact with the aluminum foil for this to work.
A chemical reaction will result-- you'll hear and see fizzing, and smell a sulfurous odor, which is the tarnish coming off.
After a while, remove the items using tongs or a fork. If there is still some tarnish, put it back into the solution.
Then remove it and rinse it. If you still see a bit of tarnish, it's easy to rub it off with a bit of baking soda (a mild abrasive) and/or an old soft toothbrush.
Caveats:
1. Don't put pearls, opals, turquoise or other soft gems into this solution.
Also, don't put in any stones that could be damaged by thermal shock, e.g. if they have inclusions that could make the stone crack if heated this way.
2. Don't use this with plated metals.
3. Sometimes the patina of tarnish in crevices of vintage pieces is attractive and desirable. This cleaning method will remove it. In that case you'd be better off using a chemically treated, mildly abrasive polishing cloth, of which one example is a Sunshine Cloth. (That brand of cloth comes in different colors depending on how abrasive you need it to be (blue is the gentlest, yellow the most common, pink the roughest. Available on Amazon and elsewhere.)
jshepherd
Pearl Paradise
I would definitely recommend repairing them. The nacre appears to be very thick.
Pearl Dreams
Pearl Enthusiast
And with that thick nacre, luster and durability. 
I think it’s a beautiful strand. If you like arts and crafts then def worth restringing yourself.
Supplies
-string
-needle
-gimp
-glue
Pattye can help you get started
I’ve never used a knotting tool. I do hand knotting. Lots of shorts on YouTube
Supplies
-string
-needle
-gimp
-glue
Pattye can help you get started
I’ve never used a knotting tool. I do hand knotting. Lots of shorts on YouTube
If you even knitted or did any sort of hand sewing or many other hobbies with thread and knots, including fly tieing....It is the same ideas a few tricks, but mostly can be done watching a show that you have seen before, once you start and can remember to stop and move the knot into the correct position . It is repetative more than difficult to understand or do. Looks impressive, but it is just knots, knots & more knots with some work at either end.
If the ends are concerning you...use the old fashioned 1940-50's bead cups and the ends are just another knot inside the beads cups. In fact for a while pearls were sold all knotted on bead cups, you hooked the bead cups on the clasp of your choice....because a finished necklace had a huge tariff and a strand without clasp in the box had only a 2% tariff. (the clasp was kept in a separate bag.)
Washing soda sounds great, but I find Tarn-x, which is at Lowes & HomeDepot easier. (I can clean ordinary silver with it too.) I even cleaned a silver clasp that went thru a house fire with it. Tarn-X can NOT be used on pearls...so do that off the pearls, before you restring.
If the ends are concerning you...use the old fashioned 1940-50's bead cups and the ends are just another knot inside the beads cups. In fact for a while pearls were sold all knotted on bead cups, you hooked the bead cups on the clasp of your choice....because a finished necklace had a huge tariff and a strand without clasp in the box had only a 2% tariff. (the clasp was kept in a separate bag.)
Washing soda sounds great, but I find Tarn-x, which is at Lowes & HomeDepot easier. (I can clean ordinary silver with it too.) I even cleaned a silver clasp that went thru a house fire with it. Tarn-X can NOT be used on pearls...so do that off the pearls, before you restring.
ennui
Well-known member
I simply use a polishing cloth, especially for something as small as one clasp. I have the two part cloth -- white side has jeweler's rouge, gray side for finishing off.
I like baroque Akoyas, please let us know what you decide to do.
