Show me your Pearls!

[yssie]

I just want to share my little DIY fun - a few FW strands that I bought as stringing practice projects/gifts. Used .65mm silk, single string/tweezer method. Also featuring a 11mm FW cheapos to see how I like larger sizes before starting a dedicated new savings account for WSS DIY is so much fun!

Ohh. You did good!! They look really nicely done!!
I swear it took me forever to knot remotely reasonably. I think I’m on the lower and slower end of the stringing skill spectrum though
Yours look fab from the start!

 

[pearaffair]

I just want to share my little DIY fun - a few FW strands that I bought as stringing practice projects/gifts. Used .65mm silk, single string/tweezer method. Also featuring a 11mm FW cheapos to see how I like larger sizes before starting a dedicated new savings account for WSS DIY is so much fun!

Way to go!!!

 

[ittypea]

Aww thanks everyone @pearaffair @Daisys and Diamonds @Pearlescence and @yssie!
I have ripped through the necklace 5-6 times and 2-3 times the bracelet because I apparently have the Hulk strength? Trying to get the knots tight but not breaking the silk is... a fine balance. It's the things that happen behind the scenes lol I'm definitely on the very uneven/low spectrum of stringing, but it's so rewarding and fun! And unlimited redo iterations of beads and spacers... oh my!

Now onto that savings account for a WSS strand....

 

[pearaffair]

Aww thanks everyone @pearaffair @Daisys and Diamonds @Pearlescence and @yssie!
I have ripped through the necklace 5-6 times and 2-3 times the bracelet because I apparently have the Hulk strength? Trying to get the knots tight but not breaking the silk is... a fine balance. It's the things that happen behind the scenes lol I'm definitely on the very uneven/low spectrum of stringing, but it's so rewarding and fun! And unlimited redo iterations of beads and spacers... oh my!

Now onto that savings account for a WSS strand....

I broke the string too and was so frustrated! Haha! But it’s still fun.

 

[Pearlescence]

Aww thanks everyone @pearaffair @Daisys and Diamonds @Pearlescence and @yssie!
I have ripped through the necklace 5-6 times and 2-3 times the bracelet because I apparently have the Hulk strength? Trying to get the knots tight but not breaking the silk is... a fine balance. It's the things that happen behind the scenes lol I'm definitely on the very uneven/low spectrum of stringing, but it's so rewarding and fun! And unlimited redo iterations of beads and spacers... oh my!

Now onto that savings account for a WSS strand....

Everyone, no matter what their skill level, breaks a thread occasionally. Usually about five pearls from the end.

 

[ittypea]

I broke the string too and was so frustrated! Haha! But it’s still fun.

I see a lot of others use @Pattye's serafil threads. I've been wanting to try them if I get some fun coloured pearls, I wonder if that's got better tensile strength than silk threads.

Everyone, no matter what their skill level, breaks a thread occasionally. Usually about five pearls from the end.

always near the end

 

[Pearlescence]

Yes, Serafil is great. Much tougher than natural silk.

 

[yssie]

I once strung a bracelet three times, I kept snapping my thread going back through the end pearls... The reamer is a sanity saver

 

[pearaffair]

I once strung a bracelet three times, I kept snapping my thread going back through the end pearls... The reamer is a sanity saver

I don’t have much experience- the reamer helps because it makes more space for the threads, and then they’re less likely to snap? Is that why?

And omg I can just imagine the anguish of snapping at the end!!

 

[pearaffair]

I see a lot of others use @Pattye's serafil threads. I've been wanting to try them if I get some fun coloured pearls, I wonder if that's got better tensile strength than silk threads.


always near the end

Thank you for the tip! I will look for these threads.

 

[pearlsngems]

I buy Pattye's Serafil exclusively now. It's really easy to knot with, is durable and comes in so many colors. I buy it from her Etsy shop, PatriciaSaabDesigns.

 

[yssie]

I don’t have much experience- the reamer helps because it makes more space for the threads, and then they’re less likely to snap? Is that why?

And omg I can just imagine the anguish of snapping at the end!!

Yes!! That's it exactly! I pick the pearls I'm going to pull the thread back through ahead of time and I make the holes on just those pearls a touch bigger - doesn't need to be a lot bigger, even a little clearance helps SO much!! I like having the thread "fill up" as much of the drill hole as possible throughout the whole strand

 

[rinni]

Some pearl earrings.

A mix of akoyas, mabe (blister pearls), golden south seas, silver south seas, Tahitians and freshwater Edisons

 

[rinni]

Japanese mabe earrings and pendants.

It’s a nice sunny day here today so you can see some of the color play. But they really need to be seen IRL to be truly appreciated, photos can only capture a fraction of their iridescence.

 

[yssie]

I was listening to a VCA talk on medieval jewellery last night, and apparently pearls (and rock crystal) were treasured above all other gems during medieval times… They were considered almost magical, and jewellery was designed to highlight them.

I felt very validated

 

[yssie]

@rinni Would love some closeups of your pieces! So many beauties there!!

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

I was listening to a VCA talk on medieval jewellery last night, and apparently pearls (and rock crystal) were treasured above all other gems during medieval times… They were considered almost magical, and jewellery was designed to highlight them.

I felt very validated

This is the beautiful, tragic, Queen Barbara of Poland(1520-1551)

And yes, I would wear the pearls.

 

[yssie]

This is the beautiful, tragic, Queen Barbara of Poland(1520-1551)

And yes, I would wear the pearls.

Amen. I’ll take the headpiece when you’re done. PleaseAndThankYou.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I was listening to a VCA talk on medieval jewellery last night, and apparently pearls (and rock crystal) were treasured above all other gems during medieval times… They were considered almost magical, and jewellery was designed to highlight them.

I felt very validated

I was watching the news the other night and there was footage of the Queen- no word on watch pearls she had on of course but their luster was out of this world

I would love to see her Queen Anm and Queen Caroline pearl necklaces up close ....ok i want to stroke them !

 

[rinni]

Some large ‘white’ pearls.

The ones on the right column are button WSS (11-12mm) and roval WSS (10-11mm).
The rest are Edisons, with the largest pair being 14-15mm near round loose pearls.

‘White’ doesn’t describe them very well, as they can be creamy or silvery with various overtones. The skins of WSS are also smoother/silkier compared to Edisons, but it’s hard to tell them apart at a casual glance (for good quality Edisons).

 

[rinni]

@rinni Would love some closeups of your pieces! So many beauties there!!

It’s a pleasure to show them to an appreciative audience

Just uploaded photos of some large whites

 

[yssie]

Some large ‘white’ pearls.

The ones on the right column are button WSS (11-12mm) and roval WSS (10-11mm).
The rest are Edisons, with the largest pair being 14-15mm near round loose pearls.

‘White’ doesn’t describe them very well, as they can be creamy or silvery with various overtones. The skins of WSS are also smoother/silkier compared to Edisons, but it’s hard to tell them apart at a casual glance (for good quality Edisons).

Wow. Your edisons are phenomenal. My eyes go straight to that teal pair - are they studs? D'you have any photos of them on - does the overtone convey against skin?

I don't have any edisons but dang, I wouldn't mind a pair like that!

White pearls are devilishly difficult!! I too learnt early on that no white pearls are ever really "white"

 

[yssie]

Cross-posting this pic from another thread
The earrings are made from MOP from Australian WSS, and the pearl bracelet is from Andrew Moline. My very first gem akoya purchase was an 8-8.5mm strand from Andrew I split that strand into two bracelets and a sprinkle necklace; I keep one of the bracelets pristine and the other is my favourite stacker

 

[katyahh]

New to pearls, this is my first set. 6.5-7.0mm Freshadamas. I've read the forum for two weeks to try and educate myself on pearl quality but I don't know if I'm being overly critical as they're my first! Some of the pearls look a bit oblong to me but I'm not sure if that's within the range of normal for freshadamas/freshwater pearls. Does anyone have any opinions?

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

New to pearls, this is my first set. 6.5-7.0mm Freshadamas. I've read the forum for two weeks to try and educate myself on pearl quality but I don't know if I'm being overly critical as they're my first! Some of the pearls look a bit oblong to me but I'm not sure if that's within the range of normal for freshadamas/freshwater pearls. Does anyone have any opinions?

They look lovelly
im assuming they are genuine pearl paradise Freshadamas
How about ear/neck and wrist shots ?
Have you worn them out yet ?

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Cross-posting this pic from another thread
The earrings are made from MOP from Australian WSS, and the pearl bracelet is from Andrew Moline. My very first gem akoya purchase was an 8-8.5mm strand from Andrew I split that strand into two bracelets and a sprinkle necklace; I keep one of the bracelets pristine and the other is my favourite stacker

Ooooo I love this stack!!

 

[rinni]

New to pearls, this is my first set. 6.5-7.0mm Freshadamas. I've read the forum for two weeks to try and educate myself on pearl quality but I don't know if I'm being overly critical as they're my first! Some of the pearls look a bit oblong to me but I'm not sure if that's within the range of normal for freshadamas/freshwater pearls. Does anyone have any opinions?

I bought a Freshadama strand from Pearl Paradise a few years back as a Mother’s Day gift to my mom and had similar issues. I asked for an exchange and communicated that yes they have lovely luster but I expect the pearls to be round. The next strand that came was nice and round, or at least round enough I didn’t notice.

The photo of your strand and bracelet shows pearls that are not round, particularly those in the strand at the back near the clasp (they look mushroom shaped to me). The studs are nice and round though.

 

[rinni]

Wow. Your edisons are phenomenal. My eyes go straight to that teal pair - are they studs? D'you have any photos of them on - does the overtone convey against skin?

I don't have any edisons but dang, I wouldn't mind a pair like that!

White pearls are devilishly difficult!! I too learnt early on that no white pearls are ever really "white"

Oh yes, the ‘teal’ pair are studs. The tone does convey against the skin when I look in the mirror, but it’s hard to capture on photos. They aren’t perfectly round though it’s hard to tell on the ears. The vendor said this was a unicorn batch as the quality of Edisons is hard to guarantee (and the rest have already been snapped up).

 

[pearlsngems]

@katyahh,
The Freshadama pearl set does not appear round in the photo, but it is common for the camera to cause distortion. I've seen this distortion effect in many photos of pearl strands.
Are they actually round?

 

[Pearlescence]

This is the beautiful, tragic, Queen Barbara of Poland(1520-1551)

And yes, I would wear the pearls.

Her neck muscles must have been phenomenal!