Look what I found !!

[pattye]

Hi Imanit and all,

Like your restring with the tiny seed pearls alot! And the butterfly clasp is lovely too! I can't even tell how it opens!

Casey, Your pearls sound lovely, and have such sentimental value since you wore them on your wedding day--can't go wrong with those gorgeous colored freshwaters!!

For me the BIG WHITE PEARL GAME was: find a strand that is
1. Really big!
2. Really cheap!!
3. Really great lustre!!!

The ones like Caitlin's from ebay store Pearl Emporium were about $6 per strand, for 11-12mm. (A fair number of the pearls are heavily flawed and too chalky to even use.) Unfortunately, that was back last fall and although we have requested more, so far they are unavailable.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[Valeria101]

This is how the necklace looks now: changed clasp, added seed pearls as separators and took off 3 pears.

The pearls look WILD! (with color). And the strand sings.

There are wat too many gorgeous freshwaters on this forum, folks!

 

[jerin]

Funny how taste changes.
Imanit, I am one of those "Everybody has those "almost round, almost perfect "white pearls.... "
A year ago I wouldn't have looked twice at anything off-round or slightly blemished.
Since reading these boards, I now think all pearls are beautiful....
Just wish that I had enough money to buy the things on my wish list.
And I fervently wish to be able to bead and string.
Gosh, I envy you clever people your skill.
Oh, and those pearls pictured are all fabulous.

Sueki,
get yourself "Pearl and Bead Stringing with Henrietta", Author is Henrietta Virchick and perhaps "Step by Step Bead Stringing" by Ruth F. Poris (through Amazon), these 2 books do complement each other very well so You can understand how it is done, then order pearls from Integrity Pearls, there are many cheaper pearls they have, so You can train yourself, stringing material is to be had from Artbeads, Bella Findings or Fire Mountain Gems and start...

By now I have mastered the art of stringing without any tools very well and I am also training myself with a special tool, The Tricord Knotter. You should have if you are going to string many strands... the stringing process will grow on You and You will find that You can get quite "addicted" to it once You know how to do it....

Let us know when You have done Your first selfmade necklace....

 

[Sueki]

Inge,
Oh, wow, how spooky....
You have seen into my mind.
Last night ( this morning ) I sat up until 3.00 a.m. searching for both of those books and have bought them on ebay. The books I found fairly quickly, it was looking at all the threads, needles, findings etc. which kept me awake....
I will follow your advice and have a look at Integrity Pearls and the other sites now.
I am confused a little as to the sizes of stringing silks etc.
I suppose trial and error teaches the correct size to use ?
Well, I am going to have a go - I am sure that I won't be posting any photos for a long time - I imagine that beading / stringing is a skill that must be learned through time, practice and bucketloads of patience.
The photos posted on this site by the beaders have really fired my imagination, and made me realise that classic rows of pearls are not the only way of wearing and enjoying pearls, and mine seem almost mundane compared to what I have seen here.
Thanks to you all for opening my eyes, and thank you, Inge, for the advice.
Oh, well, I am off to browse those sites now, and I am sure to be back here, asking for help when I realise what a dunderhead I am.

 

[jerin]

Sueki, see I can read Your mind....

This post actually belongs to the Lowly Beaders club, but I am going toanswer this question of Yours about the silk.

I use Gudebrods Champion Silk, their letters on the spool indicate the thickness of the thread, starting with A (thinnest) and going to FF (very thick). Do buy spools and not cards, they are more expensive.

When it comes to needles, 10 is thicker than 12, and if You use twisted needles (best because they got large "eyes") You choose between "fine, medium to heavy".

If You use other kind of brands (now I am talking thread again), they could start out with 00 (thinnest) and then continue with 0, 1, 2, 3 and so on.
If You buy from Fire Mountain see to it that You get their catalog, it is very helpful as You can see everything and get great explanations... as well as beads, findings, gem stones, glass beads, everything You need to get started......

Let us know what You have found.....

 

[Karl-Wertzler]

Re-Stringing those Pearls

Re-Stringing those Pearls

These have a really nice look! Not perfectly round but with much Character! I had a Graduated strand restrung last year with sterling silver seamless beads and done on something called Flei-Wire, which is a very thin steel cable that is coated in nylon, this allows the restringing to go several years, depending on the care of the pearls. But you have to know a good jeweler for this!

 

[Caitlin]

http://www.disgostore.com/page9.html

**Acculon Flei-Wire - This is a 3 strand flexible steel cable wire coated with nylon to add strength and durability to your strand. Hand knotted pearls on silk cord need to be restrung at least once a year, which can be an added $3,000 over a 10 year period, Acculon Flei-Wire usually only needs to be restrung every 5 years - and with proof of purchase from Dis-GO! it is absolutely FREE! Contact me for more details if you wish.

This reference to Aculon flei wire came up on the infamous shell pearls page. The one that sells "South Sea" shell pearls but says:

* Cultured South Sea Shell Pearls – A nucleated bead consists of pulverized shell interior lining and shaped into a round bead, then are cultured; placed inside next to the reproductive organs of the pearl, for one to two years inside of the pearl oysters Pinctada maxima. Please read the below Brief History of Pearls.

Both links go to the same page. Please check it out. I hope someone can explain to me when they started using "pulverized" mother of pearl shell shaped into a round bead with what? Glue?

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Karl

Did you by chance mean 'Acculon flexwire"? The only reference to "flei wire" came up with the above shell pearl page, but Acculon Flex wire is a tigertail. Artbeads sells it in various sizes.

Softflex and others also make multistrand stainless steel wires covered with a tough clear plasticlike tube. Softflex just happens to be my favorite.

As you can see it the top of the Artbeads page, it is a perfect wire for basic bead stringng. In fact I used it for many of the examples I have pictures of here. The first 6 pictures are strung on wire. It is not until #7 that you get a knotted strand.


Stringing beads on wire is indeed a tough and long lasting way to make sure you won't need to restring for many years. Stringing beads on wire is the most simple technique in bead-stringing and taught in beginning beading classes in every bead store in America.

Here is a review of that technique:

After designing the necklace, I thread the beads on Softflex still on the spool.
When I am done stringing, I finish off the end I was putting the beads on, first.
This is done by stringing a crimp tube and gimp on the end, then pass the end through the ring on the clasp then back through the crimp tube.
Pull it all together tightly, so the clasp is on the gimp and the gimp is a tight little loop coevering the wire, then crimp the crimp tube with crimping pliers (see definitions and glossary)
After crimping, yank the clasp and necklace to make sure you got it tight.
Cut off excess wire and cover the crimp tube with a "crimp tube cover" and close it the needle nose pliers. If closed carefully, it looks like a round silver bead.
Then I cut the other end off the spool and attach another crimp tube, another piece of gimp (1/4/" is ok)the other end of the clasp onto the gimp and repeat.

 

[Karl-Wertzler]

Stringing on wire

Stringing on wire

Cailin;
Thanks again for the reply, this looks hard to do! How someone has the patience to string beads on a tiny wire is beyond me! And it looks like it takes a long time - I visited that store site where I bought my pearls and saw his other jewelry - I didn't realize how involved this was - I now have a greater appreciation for his other stuff, my wife is a turquoise fanatic so I think I might visit him this week to ask about the turquoise on his site. Do you have a website where you sell your collections?
Karl

 

[knotty panda]

I thought of something else! Some people have a hard time using french wire (gimp). Try something called a "wire guardian." It might make your designs a bit simpler to construct yet professional.

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Karl
The wire guardian and its companion "scrimp" beads can be found here among other places.

As to the webpage, I have one and occasionally give the web address out, but I am retired. I have strung beads since 1966 and have photos going back that far. I used to do bead applique for belt buckles and purses as well, and have made hundreds of bead- and lately pearl- necklaces, many of which have been photographed. I used to sell at crafts fairs and other such venues from the late 60's to the early 2001 or so.

I also was one of the earliest to do micro-macrame jewelry creations and I used to make barrettes, earrings, necklaces out of size 18 nylon thread which comes in dozens of colors decorated with beads.

I have a couple dozen of my more recent pieces up in various threads.

 

[Karl-Wertzler]

The Power of Knowledge - Thanks for your help

The Power of Knowledge - Thanks for your help

Thank you Caitlin for all of your help on my Gold Australian Strand, I just talked with the owner of DisGO and he has issued me a credit for $550 - Now that is what I call customer service, and he has told me that he has talked with his dealer from Australia and is making changes to his site to reflect the fact that sea shell pearls are not genuine pearls - I gave him this site so he can get more information from this community, Thanks again-Karl