My goal was to make straight-color sizes using just the metallic color-shifts, but we just couldn't get the full six kilos needed (we ended up with about half). We could have waited until the Winter, but instead Hisano and I went through a bunch of lots at the HK Show last month and selected out only dark and intense colors to use with the extra pearls for multi-color strands in order to darken them and bring out more of an exotic look. That super-dark purple in the close-up is a good example.
But most of the strands are straight-color, with a bit of shifting hue. I will get some better shots soon.
5 kilos...that would roughly equal 5,000 pearls. Even when "cherry-picking" the amount is almost 300% more pearls than what I produced this year!!! And my harvest includes "all qualities" (not junk or unsalable pearls) not just the "Gems". Other producers would say the same (Josh from Kamoka) I guess...
These are tissue only. We've been experimenting with a few beaded large strands and, of course, the pearl-in-a-pearl strands, but haven't really dove into it yet.
There ins't a set size range with the strands. They all graduate slightly, with the smallest pearls ranging from 8.5-9 mm and the center pearls between 10 and 11 mm. When I had them matched I decided to match color first over size because we had so few pearls and I really wanted to create solid-color strands.