My "Pearling" Story...

One more blue for the weekend. I found these blue freshwater pearls and wanted to make a three strand necklace. Multi-strand necklaces are always somewhat of a challenge as getting them to lay properly on the neck can be tricky, especially if you're trying to get all of them to lay properly and touch each other without uneven distances between strands. Instead of connecting them to a triple-clasp, I decided to use these vintage findings I purchased on Etsy.com. They were from harvested vintage jewelry, and are gold plated, not solid gold. I did connect them to a solid gold clasp. Like the RW&B necklace above, the pivot nature of the three piece connector to the single clasp allows for some movement, keeping the 3 strands aligned perfectly. This too is one of my favorite blue necklaces (guess you can tell I have a lot of "favorite necklaces"), as it matches so many lovely shades of blue clothing. Looking more steely-gray in this photo, these pearls are really more blue than gray.
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eolian pearls said:
Wow @MotherOfPearlTrumpet what a glamorous entrance to this forum!!! Welcome welcome! I love your stories and designs and pearls and the CLASPS!!! Enjoy wearimg your beauties, I will be looking forward to seeing more of your collection!
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Can't wait to share with all of you some more of my outstanding clasp finds...one is platinum/emerald/diamond!!! Stay tuned! (I wore that strand today.)
 
Lovely Torsades. I had to capitalize Torsade or autocorrect changed it to tornadoes. Love the clasps. I feel like a good clasp changes a strand into a necklace.
 
I'm enjoying the stories and the pearl jewelry (y):arms:
 
BWeaves said:
Lovely Torsades. I had to capitalize Torsade or autocorrect changed it to tornadoes. Love the clasps. I feel like a good clasp changes a strand into a necklace.
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Torsades, Hurricanes, Tomatos, Tomatoes...Oh the joys of auto spellers! :sneaky:
 
So are you ready for another strand? The impetus for this one was the incredibly beautiful clasp. I know that the pearls from some of these older strands are typically not worth much; however, sometimes they are still quite lovely. What caught my eye with this strand was definitely the clasp; it is so unusual. After purchase I always take my purchases into my local jeweler to have the authenticity of the metals and stones checked. This one is the real deal: platinum, emerald and diamond. The safety is also quite ingenious. It is a flat bar that clips across the under side of the clasp and has a very secure "snap" when closed. The clasp was on a nice strand of 7-8mm Akoya pearls. I used those with some Swarovski crystal butterflies to create a strand that was donated to a charity for their annual auction; the strand brought a winning bid of $500!!! (Pictured below.) Pretty cool, right. I then ordered some Tahitian Silver Gray pearls, as this platinum/emerald/diamond clasp was just calling for something "unusual" for the strand. I also decided to add some 14K white gold diamond cut beads between each pearl to catch the light the same way the clasp does. With the extra length that came by adding the gold beads, I was able to use the rest of the Tahitian pearls to create a matching bracelet of mixed Tahitian/Akoya pearls as well as earrings. The earrings findings are very nice diamond/white gold lever-backs. They were purchased from Konig Jewelry in Israel. Konig is a medium size findings company, and Etian is the designer/owner. I think you'll agree he does absolutely amazing work! More of his findings will be featured in future pictures. The clasp for the bracelet is also 14K white gold and diamond and is a lobster clasp, which makes it easier to work on the wrist. That was purchased from a findings designer on Etsy who is located in India. All findings showed authentic metals and stones. It's so nice to see designers from all over the world offering beautiful authentic pieces. Hope you enjoy this strand. It is so beautiful when worn with anything black, gray or even navy. They are my "Winter Pearls."
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It is my day off so I'll post one more project...something simple. I mentioned previously about my finding a seller in Rhode Island (formerly the Jewelry Capital of the US) who purchased a warehouse full of findings and was selling them off in bits on EBay. I fell in love with several things he offered. Because I wear so much green, these twisted stones were a fun purchase. Most of my heavier stone bead creations are strung on silicone covered beading wire without knots. This is the same brand of wire I used on the grey Keshi Torsade above in the extra fine size. After struggling with miscellaneous diamond cut pearl reamers I finally ordered some true pearl drill bits for my Dremel. What a game changer it was having bits designed for pearls! I was able to take some lesser quality pearls and practice my drilling skills. For strands like this I will 1/2 drill the pearl large enough for the wire to go through 2X (for the loop through the clasp and back around into the strand), then drill the other 1/2 of the pearl large enough for the crimp bead to slide tightly inside the pearl. This allowed me to hide the crimp bead inside the pearl and fully secure the wire inside the strand. This was a technique that came out of my dislike for cheap-looking crimp bead covers. I ruined several pearls before realizing that I had to incrementally drill with each graduated bit size to let the opening grow slowly so as not to crack the nacre. This opened up a whole new world of possibilities to use wire on pearls mixed with other beads and stones without those ugly cheap covers. Here are my Twisted African Jade stone necklaces; with and without nice freshwater pearls. Bead and earring findings are all gold filled with CZ stones in keeping with the overall value of the strands. I just LOVE the veining and coloring of these African jade. My daughter is a high school English teacher and her school colors are Green/Gold/White. I made her a nice strand of these to wear on "Spirit" days with her school T-Shirt. I've had many requests for similar strands for other teachers. Always at cost...I just like making things for friends.
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MotherOfPearlTrumpet said:
I found these beauties and wondered what time period they must have been popular. Pearls set in gold with diamonds at the front of a necklace, with a pearl string providing the rest of the necklace. Most of the strands I've found were about 14" long so It made me wonder if they were 1950's when women's necks seemed to be smaller than what they are now. I restrung these three necklaces using extra gold beads or replacing the necklace pearls with a longer strand that matched the pearls on the gold mount. Two of the sellers advertised these as "Bib" necklaces. I would appreciate any information as to the time period and the proper name. Of all the smaller pearls I wear, these get the most comments from the younger generation.
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View attachment 462695Welcome to the forum! These bib necklaces all look to be from the 1950's . I used to collect antique and vintage jewelry, Your clasps are beautiful, I especially like the Deco clasp you post later with the diamonds and green stone. Thanks for sharing your creations.
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That's what I was guessing on the Bib necklaces...the 1950's. Especially based on the length of the strands. The "green stones" on the platinum clasp are definitely mined emeralds, as verified GIA. Surprisingly, they are quality stones, which surprised the examiner. Usually on a pearl clasp lesser quality stones would be used. It was most likely created for someone with means. Super cool to find it, and in such great condition.

And THANK YOU "2thdktr" for taking a look. I appreciate your encouragement, knowledge shared and kind input.
 
I wore this blue pearl necklace to work today. The blue pearls are much prettier than in the photo...they have many different shades of purple/blue/bronze/gray/auburn. I found the 14K white gold diamond pendant from my Rhode Island seller for such a great price that I attempted the unthinkable...I watched a YouTube video on how to remove an existing pearl from a pendant in hopes of a clean removal. The pendant came with a lovely 8mm gray Tahitian Pearl. I wanted to swap it out with a lovely blue color so I could match the smaller pearls and make a "chain". I used 2-14K heavy white gold beads on either side of the pendant on the pearl silk, and also put a 14K white gold crimp bead, uncrimped, under the pendant so it would "swing" on the silk. The pendant is free flowing and the pearls are all traditionally knotted. Lots of nice compliments on this strand. I also made a similar one with very white smaller Akoya pearls and one 11mm South Sea pearl I picked up from a collector who was selling some inventory. At first I wasn't sure about mixing Akoya with the South Sea but I think these are a nice combination when separated by the white gold/diamond pendant.
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Today was "Big Pearl" day. I love big pearls, especially the ones with nice luster. Here is a set of 10mm white, high luster round Akoya pearls with a basket weave 14K yellow gold 8mm Akoya clasp. I added the two smaller pearls next to the clasp to make opening/closing and clipping the safety catch easier. Sometimes the larger pearls make working the clasp a bit difficult. They are 20" long, so they look really nice with lower necklines.
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Whenever I wear bigger pearl necklaces, I also love wearing some bigger pearl earrings. Here is an 11.5mm set of nice South Sea studs I purchased to wear with my larger pearl strands. They came already mounted on some very thin earring studs, so they require those silicone backings with the wide/flat backing plate to support the larger heavy pearl in front; necessary to keep the pearls from drooping down.
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Perhaps you have wondered about the name I choose for this forum? "Mother of Pearl Trumpet" I have a degree in Music with a specialty in Applied Trumpet. That means I perform and teach trumpet. I am also a choir director and music department administrator. Pearls are my side passion. The tops of trumpet valves are Mother of Pearl. From my earliest recollection I remember my father saying how much he loved the Mother of Pearl on the trumpet valves...he was a Chemist and was therefore always very interested in lovely stone/metal/pearl materials and jewelry of all kinds. In his later years especially, he gave my mother many beautiful pieces. Below is pictured the tops of trumpet valves. Also pictured is a lovely Tahitian bracelet and necklace my Dad purchased for my mother. He purchased this close to the end of his battle with cancer. He had my brother take him to the jewelry store to pick these out for her because he was too weak and sick to drive. They were the last gift he gave her before passing. She cherishes them for that reason...knowing how sick he was but still wanting to show his love for her with lovely jewelry. I restrung them for her this past year.
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What a lovely story of music and pearls/MOP :heart:

I've met some people over the years that had musical interests and had combined them with their interest in pearls and mother-of-pearl and came up with some fascinating dissertations. One of them was Dr Temkin of the AMNH in NYC and he made this amazing PowerPoint presentation of the comparison between different pearl oyster species, their phylogeny and that of musical instruments. It was a precious thing. Wish I had it to share with you all and with you @MotherOfPearlTrumpet since you love musical instruments and pearls.
 
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