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The name Mitsuko also sounds vaguely like Mikimoto, at least to my pre-coffee brain... all the better to pump up the perceived value, I guess. I could do just as well on Amazon.

I'd prefer to receive new pearls as a gift (aside from inheritance, of course) but wouldn't turn down a quality vintage piece. My husband knows better than to try to pick out jewelry for me, though... The upside of vintage, for me, is that you can sometimes find good deals. I nabbed 16" of...

Thanks, everyone, for your kind words! CathyKeshi, I posted here a couple years ago about my process. There's a bunch of details at https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5536 . In brief, I used 3D modeling software and the Shapeways 3D printing service to get the backing made, and...

I know I've been a long time gone, but I've had my reasons... marriage being one of them. Thought I'd pop back in to show you the necklace I made for the occasion! The golden pearl is a South Seas keshi I bought from IndoSeaPearls on Etsy (whose reopening I keep waiting for). I patterned...

I've just begun to consider silk's favorite long-term activity -- disintegration. I may investigate Nymo :) Even though it won't be subject to the stresses of a strand of pearls, I'd still rather prolong the life of the work.

Well, it's been a while, but I haven't given up on the project -- I've been busy with numerous other projects, as usual. But I always swing back around, and knowing that I have enough of the tiniest pearls to finish the project (or I should!) helps... I've made good progress here. The...

I started adding pearls last night, and... so far so good :) That's my workspace -- some size 00 filament silk thread I had, tweezers, my good embroidery scissors, and some twisted beading needles on a velvet pad. Those beading needles are fine, very fine... and bend if you look at them...

I received my Shapeways order on Friday, so here's what I have to work with now: I'll cut that post off of the white pieces so I have a matching pair to work with. The indentation didn't print nearly as well on the other side, but it's nothing that can't be worked around. My next step will be...

I've made a bit of progress on the pearls-and-steel front: The pearls look creamy white there, but in reality they are a bright white. The spacers are nickel plated brass. Oddly enough, I like this one a lot -- I think it's because the lustre of these freshwaters is fairly soft so it stands on...

Here's the bracelet I was talking about. I wonder if the lustres would work together any better if the amethyst wasn't there? Sounds like it's time for another experiment.

Sure, go ahead :) I'm also planning on offering the pieces for sale on Shapeways when I get something that I know will work. That way, those who are interested can just buy the pieces without having to learn Blender.

It would be somewhere around $150 in silver, depending on length and such. The smallest rings are only about 2mm wide, so a good part of that is compensation for the madness that comes with working that small :) It does turn out a beautifully fine chain. I'll try to get a photo of the latest...

The process of creating the base has been surprisingly easy so far :) I started with some very rough sketches of the pieces and traced over them in Inkscape (a free vector drawing program). I'm putting my notes on the technical processes in italics -- you can skip them if you don't want the...

You want 'em, you got 'em!

Adeline, I've never had the opportunity to examine akoyas in person, so I'm hoping the lustre will be more compatible with my usual materials. I tried some lilac freshwaters with some amethyst and stainless steel today -- the result wasn't bad, but the lustre of the pearls and the lustre of the...

For eight years now I've been making chainmaille jewelry, and for those eight years I've been trying to get over my aversion to using pearls. It's not that I have a problem with pearls; I've just had a problem with pairing satiny pearls against the high polish of the metals I usually work with...

Time for an update, such as it is: I've been planning out and gathering my materials and sketching out designs. My goal is just to recreate the necklace; I don't wear earrings, and I'm undecided on the brooch right now. The necklace should keep me plenty busy, anyway :) I haven't had a lot of...

Thanks! I'm in Southern California. I'll take a look at what Inger has, too.

D'oh. I checked Rio and all they seem to have is 2.5-3mm. I didn't think FMG had any that small until I went looking again. Turns out they do have buttons that small, so I'll have to pick up a strand and see how they look.

While cruising eBay one night I came across, and fell in love with, a Victorian seed pearl jewelry set. The $1100 USD it sold for is rather out of my price range, but as I have some skill with beading and wirework I thought I should be able to make a similar piece instead. My main problem is...