JerseyPearl
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2014
- Messages
- 5,884
Beautiful...I love the balance of color on this piece.
I knotted this mixed size strand over the weekend with the Beader's Secret thread that just arrived from Pattye last week! Pearls are nothing fancy, just a few inexpensive strands from Wen on Etsy.
I didn't know a knotting thread could change my life, but it just did with this strand. When I was knotting with silk thread, I've gotten good and was able to get the knot right up to the pearl, but not without pulling very hard on the thread to make sure it's stretched out completely when I tighten the knot with tweezers (that's with pre-stretching the silk, too). That's caused quite a few "thread burns" on my hands and even blisters on my very first necklace!
Not with this stuff... now I know why it's so popular and why everyone highly recommends it! I will use up what silk thread I have, and never buy or use it again. I'm still glad I learned to knot with silk so that I can really appreciate how easy it is to knot with Beader's Secret. In total this necklace took me just a little over an hour, even with my first time messing with gimp and pearl glue!
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More than likely it was expected that I would comment to the negative on using anything other than silk on pearls. We have done a few necklaces with the synthetics . I never have had blisters for soreness from using silk and I have, in the past strung and knotted all day for several days on end. But, be that as it may I don't and non of my stringers use any aids, tweezers, needles, tooth picks or what ever to knot..Only the 10mm plus strands require additional help because the weight of the necklace has a tendency to cause the knot to drop. The silk wound around a card with the needle attached isn't to hot or easy to use. As the picture shows your knots all seem to go the same way so there is no kinks in the finished strand, kudos. As I remember it is braided silk and not twisted. Even twisted in the wrong direction can cause problem. We were out of the most common weights, ( I can't relate the weight because it is in Japanese on the spool. We think it is in grams ) when our agent in Japan gave use a few spools each weighing couple hundred grams. Many places are switching to synthetics because silk is getting expensive as are all labor related products. I might have a video of either myself or my daughter doing a 18' without tools. Clean hands and clean nails are a requirement. My daughter is as good as my mother was who started our company in 1939. Our company had a little story about it and can be read here.
http://midamericajewelrynews.com/fe...colorful-past-of-his-treasured-gem?newsletter
Giod Bless and be well
cmd: Actually, I think it looks great with that T-shirt. The color and neckline are perfect. Of course, I love pearls with denim. The necklace is stunning. Congratulations.
Sunseeker: Wow, what a great bracelet. That particular rope is 34 1/4 inches long. My blue akoya rope is 35 inches long, and my Hanadama rope is 36 inches long. They nest perfectly, but it was complete serendipity.