Can these pearls be fixed?

[kellyjean98]

These were my Great Grandmother's and I would like to wear them at my wedding. One of the strands came off the clasp and I don't know if it can be fixed. I know nothing about pearls but I just want to wear them because they were hers. I don't know if it's possible or worth it or where to go.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

They need to be restrung. They don't seem to have knots between them except for the end few pearls-- if the old, worn thread should break, the pearls would all go flying. Since they are obviously sentimental, you'd want to prevent that.

Restringing doesn't have to be expensive since you can do it yourself. We have tutorials on the Lowly Beaders forum and YouTube also has videos.

I would recommend using a fine, twisted wire needle such as Pattye sells in her Etsy shop and her synthetic Pattye's Serafil thread, which should be fine enough for the job. https://www.etsy.com/shop/PatriciaSaabDesigns?section_id=14365735

Beaders Secret thread would also work fine. See the Etsy shop of the same name.

Or you could use Power Pro (a synthetic fishing line which is very strong-- buy from artbeads.com), or other synthetic threads, or even silk (although silk is a bit harder to work with and tends to stretch over time.)

You may wish to consider changing the clasp. It seems the current one has lost a number of its stones (rhinestones?) But then it may not feel like your great grandmother's pearl necklace any more....

 

[kellyjean98]

This is all great information! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer and give me the tips. I will check out all the things you mentioned and get them in working condition!

Thank you again for being so thoughtful!

Kelly

 

[CathyKeshi]

kellyjean98, this site is full of wonderful information on restringing ... I've managed to redo 3 pieces and make one from scratch, using Pattye's great materials. If you don't want to do that there are vendors here who offer restringing/restoration at reasonable and fair pricing. Good luck with your project, and let us know how it turns out ... a fantastic memorial to your grandmother

 

[pattye]

Kellyjean, Oh I do hope you have a few months before your wedding, yes as the others have said, the necklace can be easily repaired by restringing. Some bead shops even carry crystals that could be used to replace the missing ones. Is the clasp marked sterling? Or do you see any other marks on it?

They do look like cultured akoya pearls; you can find instructions for gently cleaning them also. How special for you to wear them for your wedding.

 

[GemGeek]

That is a lovely necklace. It would be an awesome tribute to her to wear it at your wedding.

 

[kellyjean98]

Thank you for this information. How do I find the vendors? That might be a way to go as if I look at the tutorials and don't feel comfortable. I also have several other strings she gave me that are a different color and maybe I could find out about them. I chose these because they almost look a champagne color and my bridesmaids dresses are that color.

Thanks for your help! So nice!
Kelly

 

[kellyjean98]

Oh I love hearing about them and that maybe there is a name for them. I will look up the cleaning instructions and I have others she gave me also that maybe I could learn about. They are a different color than these. I will look at the clasp and see if there are any markings. I am at work but will look tonight. Thank you so much! I am going to check out your site and see what I can do!

 

[Anne21]

Kelly, how wonderful to wear your great-grandmother's pearls at your wedding! We'd love to see any pictures you take of your pearls, and I'm sure there are people here who could give you a lot of information.

One thing to note, it's possible that these will be somewhat lighter after cleaning. Just didn't want you to be too surprised or concerned if they turn out a bit different in shade.

Thanks for sharing your pictures!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Lighter in color after cleaning? I've never heard of this happening-- unless the color was just a patina of grime.

 

[Anne21]

LOL - yes, Pearl Dreams, that's what I meant. If the champagne color is partially due to powder residue or makeup, they might not look quite the same. Sorry I wasn't clear!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Gotcha!

 

[lilliefuzzysocks]

Beautiful strand of pearls . How wonderful grandma will be there in spirit at the wedding. Your local jeweler or bead shop should be able to buy you the correct size rhinestones to repair the clasp. Restringing is fun but there is a learning curve, many here do this service and clean the pearls also. If you are in a time crunch before the big day, that may be the easiest and cheapest way to go.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

If you do decide to spend serious money on repair, you might want to be sure they are genuine pearls rather than imitation, first....

 

[lisa c]

Where are you located Kelly Jean?

 

[cmd2014]

Kelly,

If you google "pearl restringing" and your city you should get a number of hits about which jewelers in your area will do this for you. In my experience, it's a bit more expensive than going the route of one of the online vendors, but then you need to factor in shipping and insurance, so it might work out the same either way. Most of the restringing places will also let you know if they are faux or not, how much it would be to clean and restring them, and they may even be able to repair the clasp. If you prefer to go the online vendor route, there are a number of people here (including the forum founders) who will do restringing for a moderate fee as part of the services they offer.

Sometimes, even if they are faux, the sentimental value still makes it worthwhile restringing. It's not really an expensive service, and the value in pieces are how emotionally tied we are to them sometimes.

edited for spelling.