South Sea Keshi project

[lary007]

I was perusing Etsy (dangerous business) and came across what looks to be a really nice quality south sea keshi necklace from a US-based seller. She only had one prior sale but the price was fantastic IMO so I ordered it. I like ordering from new sellers personally. Their prices are usually great!

I have been wanting to make something using keshi pearls for a little while but had not come across any that I liked at the right price. The finished necklace is 18". I'd like to take this strand apart, even as pretty as it is, and incorporate some other pearls to lengthen the strand and add visual interest.

I'm pretty sure I'd like to add some golden keshis and some larger pearls or keshis or maybe add some chain in the mix somehow but am undecided.

Once the pearls come in I'll take some pictures and show them here, but in the meantime I wondered if anyone had any ideas on how you would work with these!

 

[BWeaves]

Needs a cool pendant or enhancer.

 

[jshepherd]

I thought the same thing.

 

[jeg]

If you are thinking about wire wrapping with chain, be sure to check the thickness/durability of the keshi because these are going to be pretty tiny. Tahitians are very durable, but something like Akoya or freshwater keshi are more fragile and can crack off the wire. If you are creating it yourself, then it wouldn’t be a problem because you can easily replace any damaged pearl.

 

[lary007]

I will definitely use some sort of pendant or enhancer at the bottom! Maybe a souffle/fireball pearl or larger keshi, not sure yet.

And thanks for the head's up, jeg. I've not worked with any keshi like this before so I wouldn't have thought of that.

 

[pattye]

Wow, that glowing luster ~ !! Lary007, sounds like you want to play around, possibly adding more pearls and making your own design! Do you already have a bead board to layout the pearls? Once you have the arrangement you want, temporarily stringing on fishing line or other thread allows you to check placements and length, or easily change the design. The holes may be smaller in the keshi than in larger pearls you might add, something to consider, too. Looking forward to seeing your creation!

 

[lary007]

I do want to add some more pearls in the mix to give it a little length and some more..pizzazz I think! I'm just a little undecided on what exactly I'd like to add. I do have a bead board and some thread for when this comes in, so that should help me sort it all! And good point on the hole sizes.. that may ultimately decide the project for me.

 

[KarinK]

Needs a cool pendant or enhancer.

I have a 16" akoya (tiny teeny) keshi. I use it for layering instead of putting anything extra on it. I was a) afraid of adding anything too heavy that would break the thread, b) didn't want to limit myself.

 

[lary007]

An update - these pearls are sooo fragile and soo tiny! I've had a few just disintegrate so removing them and redoing them as a project is just not going to work, but they do work beautifully as a layering piece. They are around 1.5-2mm in size. I can't even imagine how they drilled holes in these!

 

[pattye]

Yes, a layering piece is a great idea!

 

[jeg]

Oh, I wondered about that lary007. I’ve worked with some teeny tiny ones, too, and they can crack if there’s any pressure on them. Layering works!