Pearl_dreams applying for membership....

[pattye]

Lovely model!! Gorgeous strand, love, love, love the baroqueness, Perfection!!!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Pattye, I'm amazed every time I look at her. Not yet 13 but she's taller than me and wears size 9.5 shoes. I sure didn't look like that at her age.

 

[Sueki]

I sure didn't look like that at her age.

Yes you did, Pearl_dreams; you just didn't know it at the time......
Too busy worrying about weight, acne, big bum, boys, exams etc.

Ah, if only I'd had the wisdom of age when I was young.....

And I love the necklaces too.....

 

[pattye]

Pearl_dreams,

Not yet 13 but she's taller than me and wears size 9.5 shoes.

They do seem to grow up so fast these days! And be so worldly, I guess due to TV and mass media-----------

My two beautiful nieces, now in their 20's, are both just under 6 ft and wear size 13 shoe! Having raised 2 boys, it is great fun now having 2 granddaughters, now ages 6 1/2 and 10 1/2. The older one wants to model some jewelry for me, what fun!! (At 5'5" I was the runt of the family, and that was my nickname.)

 

[Pearl Dreams]

We're all runts in our family-- all except our daughter! She is now taller than my husband, myself and my parents and is taller than my late in-laws used to be!

 

[Hanaleimom]

Magnificent !!! You made me feel bad for putting off my first project.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Magnificent !!! You made me feel bad for putting off my first project.

But what a great job you did with your wire wrapped earrings, pendants and tin cup necklace once you got around to it!

We all motivate each other. For some reason I had the hardest time figuring out how to string with doubled thread and especially how to attach findings (doubling back etc.), and it really put me off stringing on thread. I would read and reread the explanations but I couldn't really put it together.

Then I saw how well Raisondetre was doing. I went to bed with stringing on my mind, and I kid you not, I actually woke up 2 days ago dreaming the solution. I dreamed how to attach the clasps, what to do with the tail end of the thread after doubling back, etc.

So while it was still fresh in my mind, I pulled out the pearls and the silk and started in on the Akoyas. Then the baroque rope. Today I restrung my peacock dyed CFWP "klonks", doubling the thread this time around (so I could seat the knots better) and the matching bracelet, and I restrung on silk a multicolored FWP bracelet that I had strung originally on beading wire and am very happy with how it looks now.

As I write, the table is covered with small lavender and peach ovals that I'm sorting to string. I'm going to keep on stringing until the method is completely embedded in my brain and I never have to puzzle again over how to do it.

 

[Raisondetre]

I made you dream of solutions??? Wow, I feel so noble now. LOL I do admit I go to bead dreaming of what to do next ... It is alot easier when someone's here to show you. I've got Nerida pearl-mom!

Now for wirewrapping ...

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Ha ha, we cross-posted Raison! I was just on your thread.

Yes, you inspired me!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I had my small peach and lavender oval pearls all arranged to make a two strand necklace but I had 2 problems:

1. The strands were going to be a bit shorter than I prefer
2. I didn't have a two-strand clasp, and I didn't like the various ways I could adapt a single strand clasp.

So out came the copper wire used for experimentation. Then I made the clasp up in 20 gauge gold filled wire and hammered the non-wound parts with a nylon head mallet to work harden it. Total length clasped is just over 1 and 1/4 inch; hook is 3/4 inch and eye is just over 1/2 inch.



When I have the necklace strung I'll post another photo.

 

[Hanaleimom]

How creative! Pearl_dreams, I look forward to seeing the finished strand.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Thanks-- that'll be tomorrow! Hubby just came home early and daughter has a project at school until 8 so we're off to a museum! (Yeah! A date!)

 

[Pearl Dreams]

So, here is the finished necklace! And a close-up of the clasp as it is attached.

This necklace is shorter than most of my other ones, but as you can see, it is just the right size for the neckline of the long-sleeve crew-neck shirts I like to wear when the weather gets cold.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

And one more shot in another shirt; the color of the pearls is hard to show at night in artificial light.

By the way, these are really ordinary pearls! But they have nice metallic colors and I just like them.

 

[jerin]

Pearl_dreams,

I adore your clasp, I wish I could do something like it. Did you string the necklace and put spacers in between (it looks that way on my screen)? The length is OK too, it is nice to have some variations and for that type of tops it is the absolutely best choice.

 

[Sueki]

Oh, yes, Pearl_dreams,
A lovely necklace and very clever and innovative clasp.
What a brilliant solution to the problem of not having the right clasp !

 

[pattye]

That is a lovely clasp! Look at your great wire wrapping and perfect gimp!!! Of course, the pearls are lovely............Thanks for modeling, you are right, it's the the perfect strand for winter!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Thank you Inge, Sueki and Pattye! It's very satisfying to find a solution oneself!

Pattye, I like modeled photos too-- I find that is the best way to show the colors correctly. Caucasian skin is 18% gray and serves nicely as a background to get the colors right. I've tried photographing on a towel, on a wooden table, even on an 18% gray card but I still find that daylight + skin yields the best results with my camera.

Inge, I knotted with silk, no spacers. The light must have reflected off the silk. Also, it actually wasn't too hard to make the clasp. Do you do any wire wrapping? If so I can explain it to you. Or I could post step by step photos.

 

[Sueki]

Do you do any wire wrapping? If so I can explain it to you. Or I could post step by step photos.

Ooh, yes please Pearl_dreams.......
I for one would love to have a go.
Funny, I was going to message you and ask if you'd mind if I tried to make something similar....

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I will work on a series of photos sometime this week and start a new thread just for that clasp. I need to rope my hubby or daughter into photographing while I work.

I certainly do not mind if anyone makes this clasp. It's really just a variation on a hook clasp.

I photographed the pearls in daylight-- hopefully the pretty colors will show more: