My First Strand x Infinity

[junebug]

Hi, I'm a Newbie on the posting side but an oldie on the reading side to the PG as I've been coming back again and again to the forums. I apologise for lurking but to be honest I didn't feel I was able to add any value to the discussion without first learning the ropes.
Anyway, I recently registered so that I would be able to officially post a huge thank you to the Lowly Beaders' Club.
Everything I now know about stringing pearls has come from reading all your posts and I threw myself the challenge of knotting my own strand of pearls from scratch.
I hope that I attached the image properly. I called this post My First Strand x Infinity because I strung them and re-strung them and re-strung them so many times for practice that it feels like I've been stringing them for an infinity. It is my practice strand since I only own one but I've been practicing pearl stringing on them forever.
I've used all your tips for starting, knotting, ending (most difficult part) using both gimp and bead tip.

My conclusion after all this stringing is that I prefer the gimp method although it takes practice but it does make the whole thing look so tidy and professional. I also love the drape of real silk even though I have used Dandyline and PearlSilk. Each has its pros and cons.

I did try using beeswax on my natural silk but it was kind of sticky and made it difficult to tighten knots so I stopped waxing on my latest attempts. Is it bad not to wax silk?

Anyway, here is the finished result. I hope you can see the image but let me know if you can't. I'm very new to the forum's nuts and bolts and not very computer literate.



Thanks again everyone. You've really been my guiding light through the mess of knotting pearls.

x junebug

 

[AMc]

Rock ON- good for you!!
Your knotting work looks great- nice and tight and small- exactly the way it should be!

 

[pattye]

Hi Junebug,

Welcome! Terrific knotting work, and lovely pearls! Not everyone waxes their silk. And an excellent photo, too!

 

[pearlescence]

Assuming you used beeswax, then the wax may be badly prepared, or not hardened enough (leave it out in air for a while) or you may be using it too warm so it is melting..try using it from the fridge. I'm lucky, a lump of beeswax from my own hive has kept me going for about five years. It is now probably about half the size it started at

 

[Pearlcat]

Junebug:

I'm mostly a lurker too. Your pearls are beautiful and you did a great job. I remember feeling like I really accomplished something with my first knotting job. I'm so impressed that you were able to teach yourself how to do it -- I had to take a class. Congratulations

 

[Narcissa]

Junebug, your work looks very tidy and consistent. I agree this is the greatest place to figure stuff out. I did same thing: strung & restrung same pearls ad infinitum for about a year before registering and posting. Works ok, doesn't it?
Welcome!

 

[GemGeek]

Wow. Great job! I use unwaxed silk myself, but it can get a little curly near the end. Don't be afraid to post. Everybody adds a piece to the pearly quilt!

 

[Pearlcat]

I've never used Pearlsilk. Is it like PowerPro? Kate

 

[junebug]

Thank you so much for all your feedback. I'm blushing

I have to say that this strand comes with blood, sweat and tears. Literally. I can't tell you how badly my fingers and nails looked after a full day of practice. I have chips in almost every nail.

I think I've got this strand down to pat now but I have only ever strung a single strand - straight. No fancy stringing yet. I will need more pearls for that.

Pearlescence, thank you so much for the beeswax tip. You were right, my beeswax was pretty soft. In fact, I thought I was supposed to warm it up in my hands before running the thread through. Silly me. I think the fridge is a great idea. I do find that I am doing alright without the beeswax now. It was making my silk look kind of soiled. Again, is that just my bad beeswax or just the fact that it was warm?

The ending of the strand remains the hardest part of stringing. I ream like there's no tomorrow.

Well, I can't take all credit as I didn't really teach myself. I had some great teachers on the PearlGuide!

Hi Kate, I have never used PowerPo but Pearlsilk is quite a good subsitutute. It's not as thick as many other beading strings which I couldn't even fit through my pearls. It is smooth to use and knots well. The knots seem smaller than those done in natural silk and it looks and feels like silk. I don't think it is as strong as Powerpro as I have had breakages mid-knotting. It doesn't drape as smooth as silk, of course. I find that if I store the strand in a pouch, there will be obvious kinks which need to be massaged out before wear. This is a problem I haven't had with real silk.

Anyway, as I only have been working with the one strand there isn't much else to share. Here's another photo. A closeup. It feels good to be able to say that it's hand-knotted on twin silk. Didn't come easy though.


View attachment 11377

 

[lisa c]

Look at how smoothly those pearls lie! Lovely Job!

 

[Narcissa]

I'm impressed with your gimp job. Nearly inspiring me to re-do my SS greenies for the umpteenth time to get it right this time! Or at least a lot better. And ya on the broken nails, bleeding fingers, etc ... welcome to the club, and they will recover!

 

[lisa c]

Good pics! BTW, where did the pearls come from, size, grade, etc???

 

[AMc]

I am I say again- rather impressed with how small the knots are, they almost look invisible!

 

[junebug]

These are Freshwater pearls. They weren't originally knotted but just had their ends glued over the rings. That's kind of how I got started on this stringing project. I wanted to make them look decent because the lustre was quite good but I didn't realise just how difficult it would be to get to where I wanted. I was a bit obsessive in that I wanted the tightest and smallest knots possible. I do believe that it has cost me more in stringing material and equipment than it cost me to buy the pearls.

Exact origin unknown, size is a little bit bigger than 6mm but under 7mm, official grade is unknown but the pearls have a decent lustre. Can anyone have a guess?

These days, I find that I am looking at pearl knots and finishes on every strand that comes into my line of vision every time I pass a jeweller or spot someone with a strand.

 

[lisa c]

And what do you think of what knotting and finishes you see?

Boy, I wonder how many of us started down this path because we wanted to restring pearls but couldn't afford it, so figured we could do it better anyway? or always want to learn how to do something new? or needed to replace a pearl... Now the people met and friendships made via P-G are much more valuable than the pearls.

 

[junebug]

And what do you think of what knotting and finishes you see?

Hi lisa c,
Good question. I think that some sellers on the market are getting away with doing some really strange things and passing them off as properly strung pearls but, on the other hand, I can now appreciate the effort and time that goes into a perfectly strung strand. When I first started my job I couldn't understand the debate on one of the PG threads about gimp vs. clam bead ends but after comparing the results through my own hands I think the GIMP wins hands down for professionalism.
I can understand why one should pay handsomely for a good stringing job.
I can't wait to get my hands on some new pearls to practice some more knotting. Hope to post the results in the Show Your Pearls section when I do.
Thank you to everyone for all your feedback and support! I couldn't have done it without the PG.

 

[Ash]

Hi Junebug,

Welcome to the Forum. Your stringing is fantastic! Keep it up! Please keep posting and sharing your lovely work. This is the best place to learn what you want about pearls.

Again great Job and welcome!

Cheers
Ash