Show Us Your Pearls In Action!!!

[CatMom]

Gorgeous pearls, everyone! I love seeing all the amazing finds from the PP live events

@pearlgirl12 I am slightly obsessed with wire-wrapping, and I started by looking at pics of wire-wrapped jewelry on this forum (especially some of @jeg's pieces) and the Kojima website and trying to copy what I saw. Wire-wrapping is a pretty forgiving technique which I think is why it's so fun!

SoC ring today.
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Such a gorgeous ring!

 

[CatMom]

SurfnSci: That's a gorgeous SoC ring!!!

Last night I was drooling over the gem grade Takahashi pearls, but I had to keep reminding myself that I already have these!!!

Mom's akoya ring. Nana's akoya earrings. Nana's akoya clasp on the double strand of 8mm Freshadamas from PP. Rope of 8mm natural white Hanadamas from PP with a disco ball clasp. And 9mm Hanadama studs from PP. The earrings are pinked because they looked better on my ear than the natural white earrings did. You can't tell they don't match the necklace.

Whenever I wear the Freshadamas and the Hanadamas together like this, everyone always thinks the Freshies are real pearls and the Hanadamas are fakes, because they're tooooooo lustrous and shiny.


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Nana's earrings remind me of the Blossom setting PP used to carry.

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My knots are not dirty. They have loose threads from a dark sweater wrapped around them. I've been able to pick the dark threads off with a sharp tweezer, but I keep seeing new ones in the close up photos. I think the rope is due for a restringing though.

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I just got a call from Mikimoto. They said that my lone earring is worn and they can't do an exact match, but they could replace the pearl and then both earrings will match. I'm not sure how the pearl is worn, since it never rubbed up against anything, but it is 9 years old. Originally, they said they weren't going to replace the pearl in the earring that's left, but I'm happy with that option. It's still going to cost more than the original pair cost, but much less than buying a new pair. I'm bleeding pearl money this year (looks hard at Hisano, Sarah, and Celeste).

Gorgeous whites BWeaves! I especially love the ring.

 

[lary007]

Ack!!! What did I just do? I can't believe nobody bought that BBA swirly pendant necklace on the 2nd Takahashi Live event. You all gave me too much time to think about it and my finger slipped. I haven't even seen Hisano's favorite Kasumi pearl yet. I was backup for that one, and now I've bought it. And Sarah just posted a boatload of new stuff on the Kojima website. I was drooling over some Tahitian and emerald earrings, but resisted. And Celeste and Josh keep posting new stuff on the Kamoka website that I'm also drooling over. Somebody strand me on Ban Island, please.

Honestly I am thrilled you bought it. It is STUNNING. I was so happy that you caved because it meant I didn't have to.

I was thrilled to be able to snag the golden keshi pendant though. My hands worked before my mind did on that one. I need to be stranded on Ban Island too.

And I'm glad you were able to get your mikis replaced. Your mom's and Nana's pearls are treasures. I hope I have someone to leave all my pearls to when the time comes - somebody that will actually wear them. I think about that a lot.

 

[lary007]

SoC ring today.

That's the perfect setting for that fantastic pearl.

 

[Tiger]

Ack!!! What did I just do? I can't believe nobody bought that BBA swirly pendant necklace on the 2nd Takahashi Live event. You all gave me too much time to think about it and my finger slipped. I haven't even seen Hisano's favorite Kasumi pearl yet. I was backup for that one, and now I've bought it. And Sarah just posted a boatload of new stuff on the Kojima website. I was drooling over some Tahitian and emerald earrings, but resisted. And Celeste and Josh keep posting new stuff on the Kamoka website that I'm also drooling over. Somebody strand me on Ban Island, please.

You made me laugh when you bought that BBA necklace! I was waffling over it (because it's gorgeous) but when you bid, I was thinking 'oh thank goodness!' She saved me. While I think the standard round white akoyas are beautiful, they don't call to me like the crazy colors and odd shapes.

Of course, I just went to look at the Kojima site after reading your post and....bought a pair of those gorgeous tourmaline and kasumi pearl earrings! Ugh....more restraint needed. LOL...

 

[BWeaves]

Tiger & lary007: Hahaha. And here I was, thinking that everyone else buying up all those BBAs before I could even think about them was saving ME. And I agree with you. I used to love only white pearls, and now they are my least worn. I love all the baroque, colorful pearls.

I think everyone last night was typing in "Mine T+1" in anticipation of the NEXT item coming up, so they could pounce first. I know I was. It happened so many times last night that I was laughing out loud every time it happened. And then I did it, too. Hahaha.

Yeah, I really love all of Sarah's latest batch of drop earrings with gemstones that she just posted on Kojima. I have to keep remembering that I already have something similar from a few years ago, AND I've really overbought pearls the last couple of months. These PP Live events are great, but they're killing my wallet. If Hisano does a PP Live event with Kamoka or Kojima, I AM DOOMED.

I got out my pearl restringing kit to restring my Hanadamas. Just looking at my latest photos, they look dull and grimy. I just gave them a good wash. What an improvement. I'll restring them tomorrow.

 

[BWeaves]

Of course, I just went to look at the Kojima site after reading your post and....bought a pair of those gorgeous tourmaline and kasumi pearl earrings! Ugh....more restraint needed. LOL...

I know which ones you bought . . . because they're missing from the website now, and I check it like every 5 minutes for new stuff.

 

[jeg]

Bonjour! I am so disappointed I missed out on the last two PP live events from Japan! I can’t wait to see what everyone added to their collections. I’ll need to go through the videos later to catch up.

We landed in Paris on May Day. Lily of the Valley seems to be the flower of choice for celebrating.

 

[CathyKeshi]

Hi Travel Bunny and Jeg! Hope you have a lovely time in Paris! I've got lily of the valley flowering all over my little front garden and walkway; so charming! I got a pair of tiny golden akoya pearls for ... earrings? And ... the delicate golden chain with 5 natural multi-color akoyas on ... can't wait to see it!

 

[BWeaves]

Traveling Pearl is having so much fun, I can tell.

It's getting so hot here in Florida that I've swapped over to my linen clothing the last few days. I think pearls look best on cashmere or linen.

Beachy tin-cup and large feather pendant from Kojima. 9 mm Hanadama studs from PP. One of them is a hair pinker than the other one when viewed from the side, but not from the front.

I have this weird thing where I love mismatched earrings, but the lighter colored one has to go in my right ear and the darker one in my left ear, or I feel like I'm wearing them backwards. No, I'm not OCD. I'm CDO, because the acronym must be in alphabetical order.

 

[Tiger]

I know which ones you bought . . . because they're missing from the website now, and I check it like every 5 minutes for new stuff.

The ones with the blue topaz are calling my name too.

 

[Tiger]

Traveling Pearl is having so much fun, I can tell.

It's getting so hot here in Florida that I've swapped over to my linen clothing the last few days. I think pearls look best on cashmere or linen.

Beachy tin-cup and large feather pendant from Kojima. 9 mm Hanadama studs from PP. One of them is a hair pinker than the other one when viewed from the side, but not from the front.

I have this weird thing where I love mismatched earrings, but the lighter colored one has to go in my right ear and the darker one in my left ear, or I feel like I'm wearing them backwards. No, I'm not OCD. I'm CDO, because the acronym must be in alphabetical order.

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Great look! And yes, it's getting hot already. I love the way those long necklaces look on people but they just don't work for me. Anything longer than about 24 inches never gets worn.

 

[BWeaves]

Yup, my Hanadamas definitely needed restringing. The pearls were loose between the knots, and the knots were starting to look ratty when I magnified them.

Pattye's Serafil thread, sterling French wire, and the best big eye beading needles. A hemostat to clip on the end of the thread. I wish I'd bought 2 hemostats. Wire nippers to clip the knots off but not scratch the pearls. PP chamois to rub any schmutz off a pearl. Velour beading mat to keep the pearls from rolling away. I wear a dress with a full skirt so if anything rolls into my lap, I can catch it before it hits the floor. Most important, an Optivisor, 8X, so I can see what I'm doing. I'm sitting near a north facing window, with a good full spectrum lamp right over me.

Then when I've tied off the last two knots, G-S Hypo Cement with precision applicator, and aluminum foil to put everything on, paper towels to wipe excess cement on, and tooth picks to wipe excess cement off the pearls and push the cement into the knots. Let sit for 24 hours, and then clip off the threads hanging out of the knots.

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[lary007]

@BWeaves - a hemostat! Genius. I was doing some rearranging for a new project last night and kept dropping pearls and glass beads on the floor. I'll try the long dress thing tonight. Also, the beachy long necklace is *chef's kiss*!!

@jeg - I hope you have the best time in Paris!

@CathyKeshi - those little golden akoyas were precious. I have a 4mm vietnamese pair from a few years back and they make great second piercing studs. They're also good just by themselves if I'm just running around and not necessarily "getting dressed" but still want to look nice.

 

[CortezPearls]

Happy Friday everyone!
May you all enjoy a Lustrous Weekend!
We are Alive & Pearling! And that is what matters the most!

@jeg Enjoy Paris!
@BWeaves Lovely jewelry! Perfect to Celebrate Life! L'Chaim!
@CathyKeshi Hope to see you and Walter soon! Will introduce you to the Love of My Life! You gotta show her your pearls!
@lary007 Have fun with your new projects and show them to us soon!

God Bless!

 

[multichrome]

Are there any tutorials for it? My brain is spinning because I have some drilled Akoyas from a necklace that became a bracelet, and drilled raw ruby beads, and I'm envisioning something. Thank you jeg.

I don’t want to derail the discussion, but I’ve posted about learning to wire wrap before. This is the tutorial that helped me most after reading and viewing a LOT of tutorials! (Many many many!) You can even slow it down to half speed if you want to see more clearly. Jason’s a great teacher, clearly loves what he does, and BG’s videos are always produced with the learner in mind.

Wire wrap tutorial

This year I bought tools that make simple wraps, and reviewed the first one in my beading thread. I have been very happy with the result. I have to be super careful of my shoulder, too. I talk about the tool more in my thread after this post. (When the wire is placed correctly, the tool operation takes little effort.) Hope this helps. If wire-wrapping attracts you, give it a try! Practice with cheap wire Get round pliers and mark measurements with a sharpie, or buy a pair that is marked or stepped. I hope y’all don’t mind the digression here. Maybe I should make a separate thread later.

https://www.pearl-guide.com/threads/beading-merries-and-mishaps-by-cece.12943/post-470379

 

[lary007]

Today I'm wearing rainbow-ish drop shaped edisons in the revamped blossom setting from PP and a little h souffle with rubies. The colors on the earrings just dont come across in my pictures.

 

[BWeaves]

lary007: Your pearls look juicy. Just like fruit. A couple of peaches and a ripe pomegranate pendant.

Where did I get these keychains? I just found them in my pearl restringing kit. I should either use them or make them into earrings.

 

[lary007]

lary007: Your pearls look juicy. Just like fruit. A couple of peaches and a ripe pomegranate pendant.

Where did I get these keychains? I just found them in my pearl restringing kit. I should either use them or make them into earrings.

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I vote earrings!

 

[CatMom]

Have fun in Paris jeg!

Great feathery look with your linen BWeaves!

I love your earrings and little H pendant lary, they are so pretty!


I managed to sneak off of ban island and order one of PP's baroque Tahitian bracelets. I love the colors in it plus I had to take advantage of the sale! It really matches well with my Rikitea strand.