Keishi crazy

[maryd]

All one length. Keishis again? The reason I ask is, they tend to look best randomly knotted and you can hide splices fairly well, but if it is keishi and you aren't using knots as spacers, you can bead all in one length just as easily.

Thank you Knotty Panda. I need to get off the keishis for a bit so it will be a FW oval necklace. May I ask what you mean by randomly knotted?

 

[maryd]

A true keishi is a pearl created when a bead implanted mollusk (akoya, SS, Tahitian) rejects the bead and the pearl sac fills with nacre. Freshwaters aren't usually implanted with a bead, so the FW keshis etc. are created when the first implanted pearl is removed, the mollusk returned to the water, and the empty sac refills with an irritant to create the roundish shape. Hence, second harvest or reborn. You can read more by clicking on keshi pearls over there on the left. I don't know how shaped pearls are formed. Anyone?

Thanks for the good information Sheryl. So in essence there is no such thing as a 1st generation FW Keishi. So much to learn. So much to learn.

 

[Skypearl]

Fabuuulous job; love the last one the best, though they all are gorgeous! You are very talented; can't wait to see what else you come up with!

 

[Caitlin]

the mollusk returned to the water, and the empty sac refills with an irritant to create the roundish shape.

The rest of your statement is quite a good explanation of keshi, except for the above line. The empty sac does not fill with irritant. The empty sack is already a nacre-growing factory, lined with, made up of, epithelial cells (which are the nacre-producing cells) grown from the original tissue implant. The epithelial cells can be carried into the mantle in any number of ways, including tissue nuked culturing.

All natural pearls are produced by the same method-something happens that carries some epithelial cells into the mantle. Fish bites or other injuries to the mantle can do that. (A grain of sand never does that, as we already know) Sand is easily expelled by the mollusk or every mollusk would produce pearls. It is a fact that the vast majority never injure their mantles in any way, which is why there are so few pearl-producing mollusks. That is why tissue nucleation is so successful a way of making pearls.

Now if only I could find out who is tissue-nuking SS pearls...........

 

[knotty panda]

Thank you Knotty Panda. I need to get off the keishis for a bit so it will be a FW oval necklace. May I ask what you mean by randomly knotted?

Off keishi! Perish the thought! But I love ovals too. Random knotting is not between each pearl. Personally, I don't care for petal keishis which are individually knotted. Center drilled keishis work well individually knotted. Gemstones are generally knotted using random symmetry meaning, every 3rd, 5th or 7th gemstone. Always the same pattern and always an odd number.

 

[maryd]

knotty panda - thanks for the information as I have been knotting everything. I can see where the petals would look a little odd. I still have not created a design with petals I like, so maybe this will give me new ideas.

As for the oval necklace, I decided to mix the ovals and keishi to make a very long necklace I can wrap around. Hopefully I will get to start on it tonight.

 

[knotty panda]

So are you going to use one long thread or splice?

 

[maryd]

So are you going to use one long thread or splice?

I think splice won out. I might pull my hair out when I come to that first splice but the idea of using that much string instead... I am a clutz and that is just asking for trouble. Plus I have 3 cats who like to help!

 

[dkan 168]

I am a clutz and that is just asking for trouble. Plus I have 3 cats who like to help!

My cat likes to play with the threads when I am stringing, and have to choo her away all the time

DK

 

[laurenb]

Oooh, very nice work!

I may be misunderstanding-- knotting double or triple length pieces isn't much harder or more perilous than 16-18" if you are working with multiple strands of silk/powerpro/whatever and put all the pearls on before knotting. Passing the finished portion through the knot gets a little tiring, but it's not like you're dealing with a snarly bundle of loose thread at any point.

Then the unknotted portion is just a longer, smaller version of what you see here... with fewer commas and zeros involved, of course.

With PowerPro, you don't even need to snug the knot close to the pearl, just make it somewhere and tighten.

I suspect she's passing the pearls through that direction to make an optimally attractive knot in the silk, but I just make a twisted loop in the filament, hold it open and drop the already knotted part of the strand into the loop. Haven't tried the exact method shown in that video with silk, so I can't be certain if the knots are noticeably different. As far as I can tell, all PowerPro knots look the same because they're so tight-- higher diameter, bigger knot and vice-versa... until I get 4 or more strands of it coming together into one knot. Then I can't get the knots tight enough to look smooth, no matter how much I tug.

 

[knotty panda]

... if you are working with multiple strands of silk/powerpro/whatever and put all the pearls on before knotting. Passing the finished portion through the knot gets a little tiring, but it's not like you're dealing with a snarly bundle of loose thread at any point.

I bow to the master! I'm a cheater, I admit it.

 

[laurenb]

I bow to the master! I'm a cheater, I admit it.

Hehehe, that's extremely, extremely flattering coming from you, given your experience and expertise. And I have to confess-- "a little tiring" was once "could barely use my right hand for three days" because I just couldn't stop working on a 48" strand of 8mm FWs using that method.

 

[maryd]

if you are working with multiple strands of silk/powerpro/whatever and put all the pearls on before knotting. Passing the finished portion through the knot gets a little tiring, but it's not like you're dealing with a snarly bundle of loose thread at any point.

Your idea won!!! Here is the result. A 53" Keishi and FW drop necklace with SS spacers. The FWs are from Jeremy's Beader's special. He let me partake now even if I wasn't a member in December. (thanks Jeremy)

(And yes, that is my bath salt holder being used to prop up the necklace. I didn't have anything fancier.)

 

[Sueki]

Nice, Maryd, very nice.
And so quick, too......

 

[maryd]

Nice, Maryd, very nice.
And so quick, too......

Thank you. I did not sleep much last night.

 

[pattye]

Hi Maryd,

Due to traveling with only occasional access to others' computers, I am late to the party! BUT--gotta say WOW!!! Love all of these! Keishi are way up on my list also, such great overtones! Your items have lovely designs and are finished beautifully!

 

[dkan 168]

Thank you. I did not sleep much last night.

Not surprised, however, I bet you'll enjoy wearing your lovely necklace

DK

 

[Sueki]

Thank you. I did not sleep much last night.

Tut, tut,
Now then, you need your sleep, otherwise how will you keep your eyes open to gaze at those pearls.....

 

[maryd]

Tut, tut,
Now then, you need your sleep, otherwise how will you keep your eyes open to gaze at those pearls.....

Hee Hee. You know me so well. There are sitting right next to me today as I work.

Now the bad part - I have no more keishi to string.