My "Pearling" Story...

So, that beautiful 2-strand bracelet with the rubies and diamonds and the unusual flip clasp posted earlier...that was actually a vintage clasp with a 3-strand older akoyas attached. I restrung the 3-strand akoya pearls with knots and added diamond cut gold beads at the larger pearls to lengthen the strands to 17-18-19" (original strands had no knots, like most of those older strands). I put them on a 3-strand clasp that I believe was a better match for their vintage quality. As is ALWAYS the case with a 3-strand, I had to re-string it several times before it would hang properly. I wore them all week after the passing of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, in honor of her favorite triple strand that she was frequently seen wearing. Here is that triple strand. Lovely vintage Akoya pearls.
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OK stringers/beaders...who likes a challenge? Apparently I do! I found these corner drill Akoya pearls on an EBay website from Rhode Island (apparently Rhode Island had been the jewelry capital of the US). The seller purchased a warehouse filled with findings/stones/beads is selling off the inventory in small quantities and curious when I saw them, I just had to order some of these corner drill pearls. First off, they are not straight drilled through the top of the pearl like some you've seen (obviously top-drilled pearls), they are literally "corner drilled" with a "right angle" going down into the center of pearl. Talk about DIFFICULT to get a thread through. I tried and tried to get a curved needle through but it took 20 or more tries per pearl. So, I figured I'd have to find something else to work. For the single corner drill pearl necklaces, I would use silk thread and just work at it, but for the full strand of corner drilled, I got some silicone covered beading wire, the "extra fine" size, and used my thumb nail to make a "twist" in the wire, then "corkscrewed" the wire through each pearl. Often I had to "redrill" the hole to get any sharp edges out of the way so the silicone end wouldn't catch on anything. I had to create a new corkscrew on the end of the wire every 5-6 pearls. Yikes. But it was a fun experiment. I ended up making several fun necklaces using these pretty Akoya pearls.
You also might be wondering how I was able to "finish" the necklace with a crimp bead-because it isn't showing. I really don't like the look of cheap crimp bead covers, especially on pearls. So, I 1/2 drilled the final standard (not corner drill) pearls with progressively larger and larger drill bits so that the crimped double thread/wire will nest inside the pearl. I was pretty excited about this finished look. I now use this technique any time I am stringing with wire instead of silk thread. I love using the pearl as the crimp bead cover. It takes a little practice to make sure you drill far enough to get the crimp bead inside. If you look carefully, you can see it on the close-up of the clasp photo.
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Really nice! I love how you made it possible for the strands to display a sharp "V" center. Lovely!
 
From the posts I'm seeing, many of you (especially in UK) are experiencing your cold/wet pre-spring season. However, here in Texas we are now mostly done with pollen falling from the trees and everyone is fixing up their flower beds, pulling all those pesky weeds (oh, so many weeds), and adding color with vast arrays of flowers surrounded by dark brown mulch. With it reaching mid-80's every day is it any wonder why everything is growing so fast. My own front flower bed looks like hidden Easter eggs in the grass with pinks, purples, yellows, reds, and every shade of green.
So, I guess it's time to bring out some of my freshwater strands. I created many of these because they were a pretty, less-expensive way to refine my knotting/stringing techniques. I'm starting with a very simple triple strand of medium sized oval freshwater pearls from China and some rhodium one-touch clasps from bellafindings.com and gempacked.com. Purchased from a woman-run company on Etsy, when I think about all those (mostly women) bent over day after day, harvesting these little beauties, I am thankful for their labor and gifts made available to me. Don't get me wrong, like the rest of you, I LOVE my pricier South Sea, Tahitian and Akoya pearls. But there is just something about the raw simplicity and luster of these colorful little gems. Almost like a box of "Smarties" or "Sweet Tarts" from the candy store. I'll post my "Candy" collection for the next few weeks. Enjoy! (The white ones almost look like Tick-Tacks!)
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These pearls are pretty shades of pastel, but it is the clasp that makes them special. I found this vintage clasp without pearls and began my search to find pearls that would work. With these pretty tulip leaves, it just says, "Spring" when I wear it. Paired with multi-colored "Jelly Bean" size FW pearls, this is a Spring go-to necklace. I almost always wear the clasp on the side.
Have a great Monday Everyone!
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This past week I've been stuffing non-melting candy in plastic eggs for our church's Easter Egg hunt and I just couldn't resist posting this round multi-color strand and bracelet. It reminds me of one Thanksgiving; Thanksgiving you ask? Weren't you speaking about Easter Eggs?
Well yes, I was. During that Thanksgiving meal my family was discussing past Easter Egg hunts when we were younger. The conversation led to how we loved finding eggs on the ledge under the dining room table. At that point my sister reached under the table and sure enough...there was a plastic Easter Egg there...from 2 years ago (we knew by the type of candy inside). Once the laughter subsided, my brother checked under the other side of the table ledge and found, you guessed it, another plastic egg! With older candy than the first. I guess this shows how our efforts to find all the eggs definitely decreased as we got older. Silly story, but still brings a smile. Here is my "Easter Shades" freshwater necklace and bracelet.
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I suddenly felt the need for an "Easter Egg Hunt" with those pastel-metallic freshwater pearls :love:
How long has it been since my last "Egg Hunt"...best not to even think about it!
Loved your pearls @MotherOfPearlTrumpet
I'm just recovering from a minor surgery.
 
CortezPearls said:
I suddenly felt the need for an "Easter Egg Hunt" with those pastel-metallic freshwater pearls :love:
How long has it been since my last "Egg Hunt"...best not to even think about it!
Loved your pearls @MotherOfPearlTrumpet
I'm just recovering from a minor surgery.
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I hope you are recovering well. Full restoration, even after minor surgery, can be challenging. My son-in-law's grandmother still hosts Easter Egg hunts for her entire family...but she fills the eggs with $25 to $200 gift cards!!! That's one way to make sure even the adults race for and squabble over all the eggs. Everyone goes home with 3-4 decent value cards. I want to get in on that action. Grandma has so much fun giving away what is only a small part of her estate while she's still here and so enjoys watching everyone so excited about the hunt (you can be sure the whole family shows up every year).
 
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Humm, what strand to wear for Easter? I've believe I'll wear one of my top strands. South Sea Whites with diamond rondels. I had so much fun stringing this necklace. The sheer weight of the pearls was exhilarating as each pearl was knotted and became a permanent part of the necklace. These SS pearls are not perfect...but were in my price range. The earrings are much better quality and the findings are from Koenig in Israel (14KYG with good diamonds). I love that my Easter Pearls have a connection with the Holy Land! Thank you Eitan for these lovely findings. The clasp is 18K with good diamonds. On my higher end strands I love putting a "B" charm as my "Mikimoto" copy! I do have 1 daughter and 2 granddaughters with the first initial "B" so they will go to good homes someday!
I also have some python snake cowboy boots I always wear on Easter. Yes, it is Texas, but these boots have a bigger story. In the garden when Christ was praying that "this cup might pass, but Thy will be done," the Bible talks about Christ crushing the serpent's head (which was prophesied in Genesis after the fall and the repercussions were being spoken over Adam, Eve and the serpent). The serpent was told, in Genesis 3:15, "He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." This was fulfilled in the garden before the trial and crucifixion. (It is also part of the movie, "The Passion of the Christ" in the garden scene.) So, when I wear these white cowboy boots, my story always is, "He will crush the serpent's head," and we made BOOTS OUT OF HIM!

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Gearing up for a busy Easter weekend making music this Easter weekend. Trying to find some time to do some stringing to relax. It's cloudy and rainy outside so stringing is the perfect pass time. This necklace is one of my early efforts. They are Estate cheaper akoya pearls and a strand of "black" dyed freshwaters. It was a real challenge to get it to lay properly, but after a few tries adjusting knotting and lengths, I made it work. It's a fun "statement" necklace and goes well with so many different outfits. "Pearling" has definitely been a journey and I'm always learning new things. It's fun to look back and remember the learning journey.
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Happy Passover/Pesach/Easter!
 
Good morning everyone! I had a rough weekend...my sweet older mother started experiencing "stroke-like" symptoms and after a trip to the ER and Hospital, we learned she has an inoperable brain tumor. She will be on seizure meds to control issues. She is at peace with it, but this is yet another reminder to BE KIND, to everyone, and WEAR YOU PEARLS, SHARE YOUR PEARLS and use your pearls to bring joy to others. I get so many nice comments on mine and I am always so appreciative of these words of kindness, and I then turn around and affirm others.
Hope this strand makes you smile! I'm wearing it today. 10mm White not sure if they are Akoya or FW...you are welcome to chime in on your guesses. All are perfectly round, good pinkish luster.
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MotherOfPearlTrumpet said:
Good morning everyone! I had a rough weekend...my sweet older mother started experiencing "stroke-like" symptoms and after a trip to the ER and Hospital, we learned she has an inoperable brain tumor. She will be on seizure meds to control issues. She is at peace with it, but this is yet another reminder to BE KIND, to everyone, and WEAR YOU PEARLS, SHARE YOUR PEARLS and use your pearls to bring joy to others. I get so many nice comments on mine and I am always so appreciative of these words of kindness, and I then turn around and affirm others.
Hope this strand makes you smile! I'm wearing it today. 10mm White not sure if they are Akoya or FW...you are welcome to chime in on your guesses. All are perfectly round, good pinkish luster.
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Words to live by MotherOfPearlTrumpet. My thoughts are with you and your Mother.
 
So today is another case of my purchasing clothing to match my pearls. I purchased these FW purples and then read the older-long thread about "fading purples" on the forum. I guess I'd better wear these a lot, just in case they fade to whitish pink. For now, I'm loving the purple!!! Not my typical picture on the stand/display but they definitely do look more purple when I'm wearing clothing with purple. The purple pearl in the net pendant (varying purple to pink) was through another seller as were the earrings (lighter purple on the color spectrum). So I'll be watching all of them. Hope I get lucky and they all stay true to their purple shades. I just love the shading variance on the necklace. (Sorry about the blurry earring and pendant up close, just couldn't get a good shot with my phone.) Clasp is one I had made from a circle/flat pearl clasp and a round diamond pendant that I never wore. My jeweler installed it on top of the round "coin-like" pearl clasp. And one pearl down from the clasp is yet another of my random trademark "B" charms.
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