My Natural Pearl Collection

[MSC]

Thanks, BWeaves and Pareltje! I sure will, but it may be a while - I ran out of wire... This project has been 2 years in development, so what's a bit longer, eh? Such is life! LOL

 

[Katbran]

MSC - that looks like it's going to be lovely !

 

[MSC]

Thanks, Kat! Since I ran out of wire for that project, I moved on to a new one...

Deco pipi long chain - approximately 30 inches long. I dismantled a white gold art deco watch chain and added pipi pearls between the beautiful links. The original chain had two small, beveled, oval cable links between the longer links that I ended up using. Some of my wrapping here is uneven; knowing that it'll annoy me forever, I'll likely redo some of the worst offender links in the very near future...

 

[BWeaves]

Wow, that looks fantastic.

 

[amti]

I love your new necklace!!!

 

[MSC]

Thanks, BWeaves and amti!

 

[pattye]

MSC, always super fun to see what you are up to! Love the new pipi & art deco necklace and excited to see the new bracelet come together!

 

[JerseyPearl]

The watch chain and the naturals go so nicely together.

 

[MSC]

Thank you, Pattye and Jersey!! I think I'm going to change the bracelet design a bit... good thing I ran out of wire, time to think

 

[jshepherd]

That is going to be quite the bracelet. I look forward to seeing the finished piece!

 

[Katbran]

I love the links in this necklace ! MSC thats looking beautiful ! Love all those little pipi's !!

And just realised that I missed the photos of your ARS collection. Wow you have a lot of items !! Gorgeous !! Are they mostly family pieces or items that you have collected on the way ? Beautiful...its so exciting !

 

[MSC]

Y'all I have been wanting to write up a bit about the Antiques Roadshow, but am just too busy right now. I did however go to the dentist last week and took along my pearls in question; they kindly x-rayed a portion of the strand for me. Here is the x-ray! I need to find out what experts think about what it shows. The largest pearl looks like there may be a bead, but the rest of the pearls I just cannot tell.

 

[ericw]

MCS, I see a molar top on the right... More seriously, I wonder if X-rays tool of dentists has enough contrast to see pearl beads. Customers X-rays would seem more sensitive, now.
The third biggest pearl, top in the middle, shows some parts looking hollow, maybe around a bead and the place of a tissue graft?

 

[MSC]

MCS, I see a molar top on the right... More seriously, I wonder if X-rays tool of dentists has enough contrast to see pearl beads. Customers X-rays would seem more sensitive, now.
The third biggest pearl, top in the middle, shows some parts looking hollow, maybe around a bead and the place of a tissue graft?

I noticed that pearl as well and wonder what it indicates...

 

[MSC]

Made a little thing today, the first of 4 days of R&R <3

 

[Katbran]

Very cute !! Have a nice restful few days !!

 

[BWeaves]

Oh, that is cute!

 

[Charlotta]

Beautiful earring MSC.

 

[MSC]

Thank you, Kat, BWeaves, and Charlotta! Day 1 was lovely and relaxing

 

[MSC]

A new entry for this mostly neglected thread! A while back Dave of Lagoon Island Pearls graciously supplied me with a parcel of his beautiful California mussel pearls (spp. Mytilus californianus) from British Columbia, after several years of requesting. I had purchased one of this adventure vials previously, but those pearls were too tiny to drill (for me at least - I'm sure there are seed pearl drilling masters in India who could knock that out without issue). This parcel is mostly 2.5-4mm, which I was able to free-hand drill. It took a bit of trail and error to get the technique down, after that it was pretty easy and I only ruined 3 pearls in the process. Not too shabby Anyways, the first item I've made is a delicate bracelet in 14kt rose gold with faceted rose gold beads and beveled cable chain, along with tumbled raw diamonds. I made some head pins which I planished for another source of glinty sparkle. I've been pleasantly surprised at how the tumbled diamonds sparkle! I wanted lots of sparkle in this piece and between the chain, the beads, and the diamonds, I got just that! I hung the pearls on the planished head pins. The design is what I've come to think of as "scattered," which is less of a design and more of a way: no pattern, assymetrical mostly, but balanced. The pearls are gorgeous in person, with very pretty shimmer to them, but difficult to photograph with my phone's camera. I plan to take pro photos of the suite once I'm done making. Next up is a tin cup chain!