My first attempt!

[flycatcher]

Greetings,

I am new to this site but I have been doing a bunch of reading in the Forums and have learned quite a bit. Thanks for all of the helpful information y'all have posted. I thought that I would post a picture of my first pearl restringing project. I see the flaws but I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. This is an 18" strand of pearls that I bought for my wife many years ago and I did not know as much about pearls as I do now (which still is not much) so they are not very high quality. They broke a few years ago and they have been sitting around waiting to be restrung. Her birthday rolled around and I decided having them strung would be a great present. Originally, I was planning to have this done by a trained professional but decided that I would give it a try myself first. Since it turned out "good enough" I am going to leave it as is. When I string them next I hope to be able to do a better job.

BTW, I learned the hard way to make sure that you start out with enough thread. Four pearls to go and I had to start over. I decided that thread was cheaper than time so I used an too long piece and had plenty left over. I will do that again next time. Also, after I was done, I figured out a better way to put the gimp on for the start of the clasp. Medium size gimp over a beading needle and two strands of size E thread doubled was a recipe for disaster. I wasted a lot of gimp before I got it right.

Anyway, y'all tell me what you think and what I could have done better. Thanks!

--Stephen

 

[lisamla]

I just did my first stringing last week, so I know how frustrating it can be. I think you did great!! Your wife should be very happy with your thoughtfulness.

 

[jerin]

Measuring the thread is easy: take 4 times the length of the finished necklace and you will do fine! If this was the first try you did very well indeed. Of course if she will wear it often it might be a good idea to make a perfect re-stringing job now You know how to do it! Show her first what you did and make it even better, use heavy gimp then the size E thread will go over the doubled thread without problems. Length of gimp: ca. 0,6 mm. Pretty photo!

 

[pattye]

Stephen,

Excellent job! I still need to take the plunge!! wow, those pearls are really round! You saved plenty by doing it yourself!

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[Heidi]

This is such an inspirational gesture! Great job, too.

Like Pattye, I still need to dive in and just do it.

 

[Sueki]

Nice work, Flycatcher. I wonder if your new-found skill will stop there ?

 

[flycatcher]

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks for the compliments! What I would like is critiques. Where do I need to work on as far as improvements. Please go ahead and tell me what is wrong with it so that I can know where to improve.

As far as my idea for putting the gimp on... My idea is to prepare the silk thread normally and then use a regular sewing needle and thread. Thread a short piece of regular thread through the regular needle and tie it into a loop. Now thread the silk thread through the loop so that the loop is at the midpoint of the silk thread. Then use the needle to pull the silk thread through the gimp and then cut the regular thread to remove it. Add the clasp as normal and put your beading needle on the other end to string the pearls. In this way you only need to get two strands of the silk string through the gimp instead of four. I hope that was clear. I can post a picture if needed.

I have not tried this yet but I see no reason why it wouldn't work. It should allow for a smaller size gimp which might make the finished product look better. What do you think?

--Stephen

 

[lisamla]

I had to struggle to get my thread through the gimp - I mean it took me several pieces of gimp and lots of pulling. As it was my first attempt I found my thread size in relation to hole/gimp size was not ideal. I think you can use a smaller piece of gimp, leaving a smaller amount exposed. My pieces were less than and 1/4 inch. The clasp is snug.

Here is the link to the photos of my first attempt - it is by no means perfect, but I'm happy for now. I'm sure the others will have lots to add; helping us both.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lisamla/PurpleFW?authkey=YOxrzdQp29w

 

[pattye]

Well, I haven't tried it yet, but what one wants is a tidy look, and from the photos, they look great! I have some "store-bought" that don't look near as good as yours, the gimp has split and is actually quite rough.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[jerin]

Thanks for the compliments! What I would like is critiques. Where do I need to work on as far as improvements. Please go ahead and tell me what is wrong with it so that I can know where to improve.

As far as my idea for putting the gimp on... My idea is to prepare the silk thread normally and then use a regular sewing needle and thread. Thread a short piece of regular thread through the regular needle and tie it into a loop. Now thread the silk thread through the loop so that the loop is at the midpoint of the silk thread. Then use the needle to pull the silk thread through the gimp and then cut the regular thread to remove it. Add the clasp as normal and put your beading needle on the other end to string the pearls. In this way you only need to get two strands of the silk string through the gimp instead of four. I hope that was clear. I can post a picture if needed.

I have not tried this yet but I see no reason why it wouldn't work. It should allow for a smaller size gimp which might make the finished product look better. What do you think?

--Stephen

Hi Stephen,
I am too tired to think the "gimp thing" through but if you have a flexible needle that will get smaller when you pull over the gimp, you can work with the double thread without problems, just keep the gimp "together" while pulling it over the needle and pushing it towards the end and it will coil itself beautifully around the ring.
You did very well with the knots, as Pattye says the thing is to have a tidy look, that goes for the knots as well as for the gimp so there is only one thing to do - practicing and more practicing so that all the knots are small and neat and lie close to the pearls. This strand looks very well matched in size as well, that would be another important point to get a uniform look!

 

[flycatcher]

OK, here is the gimp thing in pictures. I tried it and it worked like a charm. I will likely use this method next time since it will allow me to use smaller gimp. I used a rather long piece of gimp to make it more visible.

BTW, how do you guys cut the gimp? I finally settled on a pair of fingernail clippers since they gave me the cleanest cut. Scissors and wire cutters just mangled the end when I tried it. On to the pictures...

 

[lisamla]

Fingernail clippers - great idea. I bought cutters for that purpose.
I wonder how many times I have to use them to pay for them?

 

[Sueki]

As far as my idea for putting the gimp on... My idea is to prepare the silk thread normally and then use a regular sewing needle and thread. Thread a short piece of regular thread through the regular needle and tie it into a loop. Now thread the silk thread through the loop so that the loop is at the midpoint of the silk thread. Then use the needle to pull the silk thread through the gimp and then cut the regular thread to remove it. Add the clasp as normal and put your beading needle on the other end to string the pearls. In this way you only need to get two strands of the silk string through the gimp instead of four. I hope that was clear. I can post a picture if needed.


--Stephen

Hi Stephen,
I'm not too sure why you'd need to thread four strands of silk through the gimp if using one strand of silk doubled...
Am I having another senior moment ?
Thanks for the latest photos.

 

[flycatcher]

Sueki,

The way I learned to do it was to take the length of thread and fold it in half and take the two ends of the thread and thread them through the eye of the needle and then fold them over. Thus, right at the eye of the needle, there are four strands of silk thread. If there is a better way I am open to hearing it. Thanks!

 

[Sueki]

Ah, all becomes clear.
Thanks for clearing that up, Stephen. I am even more impressed now. Your first attempt and you used four threads ? ........RESPECT.......
I've only ever used silk doubled; if I need a thicker silk I just go up a size or two.

 

[flycatcher]

Sueki,

Just to make sure it is clear... It was only four threads for about the first three inches after the beading needle. There are no more than two threads going through each pearl. The ends of the doubled thread are put through the eye of the needle about three inches and folded back.
Then I start to put the pearls on (after the clasp of course).

If I had to use four threads in each perl I would be a little poorer now for having paid someone else to do it for me.

--Stephen

 

[john675]

Stephen, I'm impressed. I've been wanting to knot pearls into a necklace and your efforts inspire me, a fellow guy, to give it a shot. Someday soon...
John

 

[Sueki]

Oh, Stephen, all is very clear now.
Thanks.
But why don't you thread a single strand of silk (twice as long as you need) through your needle and use it doubled ?
I.E. Single strand of silk, thread through the needle and knot the two ends together; that way you only ever have two strands going through each bead and gimp.
Not criticising, just curious.

 

[Caitlin]

HI
Your method seems to work, but that is a poor choice of needle for knotting. If you get a twisted wire beading needle and cut a length of string 4 times plus 10 ", thread it through the needle so it is doubled and tie a knot. Put on one or two beads(pearls) add the gimp and clasp and go back through one pearl and make your first knot, then back through the second and knot, then string all the rest of the pearls on. Then slide one pearl up to the end with the clasp and knot it. Slide the next up and knot it. Leave the last two pearls unknotted add the gimp and clasp and pass it back through the last pearl, knot, the second to last, then knot. I didn't see how you got the clasp on, but congratulations on finding a method!

I use a thin flexible twisted wire needle- the thinest one because often it will double back after the clasp with no problem compared to a thicker needle. Your needle is very thick. Much more suitable for applying seed beads to a fabric.

I keep thin, medium and thick thread and use the one that will double back through the pearls for the clasp knots, yet is not too small that the pearls slip over the knots. Some people do use very thin thread and use two doubled threads knotted at the end. Otherwise the same techniques apply.

 

[flycatcher]

Caitlin,

The needle shown in the pictures was just to put the gimp onto the looped part of the string. I used a twisted wire beading needle as you described for the actual stringing of the pearls. Those pictures were intended to illustrate my method for putting the gimp onto the silk thread for the attachment of the first part of the clasp. I was unable to slip the folded thread through the gimp so I had to thread it over the beading needle and slide it down to the other end of the thread so that I could attach the clasp. I had a terrible time getting the gimp over the eye of the needle. Even after it had been put through a pearl to collapse the eye. I ruined a lot of gimp before I managed it. Afterwards, I came up with a method of putting the gimp on from the end opposite the beading needle. That method involved the use of a regular sewing needle and thread to pull the looped end of the silk through the gimp. Then attach the clasp as normal by looping the now gimped end through the ring of the clasp and passing the beading needle through the loop that sticks out of the end of the gimp and begin stringing the pearls on using the twisted wire beading needle. I don't know how to describe it any better than that so I am including a drawing of the layout showing how it was done. It is not the best drawing so I hope it does not confuse the issue further. As I hope you can see from the attached drawing, the doubled silk thread is put through the eye of the beading needle and folded back on itself for about 3 inches. With the thread waxed it stays in the needle quite well.

Sueki,

That drawing shows how my thread was used to attach the clasp. I used that method because that was the one that I found instructions for. I do not know how the attach the first part of the clasp any other way than to loop the folded end through the ring on the clasp and feed the free ends back through the loop made by the folded end and the gimp. If there is a better way to attach the clasp then I would love to hear it because that is why I am here (I came to learn). Hope this helps. Thanks!

--Stephen