The Art Of Imperfection

[Narcissa]

Clasp on, clasp off. Clasp on, clasp off.

I knotted these up this weekend.

This was only the 6th strand I?ve knotted, and the 3rd to which I?ve attached a clasp. However, those 6 strands have been done, undone and redone multiple times each. On this one, the final knot was too big and clunky. I decided to live with that for a while, but overnight the last knot started to unravel.
So today I cut them apart, and discovered the glue that I dotted on the knot had traveled by capillary action, and the thread was glued inside the pearl. That was of course the knot that stayed knotted, not the unraveling one. I worked on it for most of an hour, without success. My dremel tool is packed up somewhere so I couldn?t bring in the big guns. So I have another pearl in my ?too stuffed to string? collection.

The 2nd pic is a strand of little pearls alternated with faceted emerald beads. Ten years ago when I bought them, I didn?t know emeralds have all had had botox AND cosmetic surgery. I was impressed with their color (which I now know to be enhanced) and their clarity. I had only seen pale cloudy emeralds. The predictable abab layout I hope is compensated by the slightly unusual combination of materials.

Cheers to all the learning and encouragement here!

 

[Marianne]

Congratulations dear Narcissa!!! Botox or not, they are beautiful Wonderful job on those beautiful pearls too!

 

[pattye]

Very nice work, Narcissa! Love the emeralds with white pearls! The oval gold clasp is lovely with the pretty oval pearls, too! Like you, I've realized recently that some glues are extra "runny" and wind up where they aren't supposed to be. Your knots look nice and tight. Looking forward to more pics of your creations!

 

[Narcissa]

Thank you, Marianne & Pattye!

Marianne, those beautiful pearls are my consolation prize for not getting any of Jeremy's wonderful hand-sorted color-shifting FWs - I'm calling them my shape-shifting pearls.

Pattye, I am so miffed at the gluing of the final knot that I'm considering ordering the brain surgery laser neuron cauterizing tool, AKA the thread zapper.

The meditative quality of stringing and knotting, with its all-consuming attention and repetition, fails for me at the clasping and tying off stage. This will perhaps improve with repetition just as knotting has. I truly am exercising myself to practice The Art of Imperfection, or else keep living with a useless drawer of beautiful parts that I would rather be wearing.

 

[waimeamomi]

Hi Narcissa. Have you knotted with faceted stones before? I always worry that the stones will wear right through the silk.

 

[Narcissa]

Hello waimeamomi,
The first iteration knotting the emerald strand I used silk, but had to undo/redo, again because of a finishing knot that slipped. So the 2nd round (or was it the 3rd) I switched to synthetic, exactly because the silk felt fragile under my hand the first go-round. I didn't want to use any buffer beads because I wanted a simple & pure look of just pearl & ems. The other option I considered was buffering the emeralds with the pearls themselves, supposing they would be sacrificial, and have to be replaced in time. I didn't want the stiffness of wire. Other ideas always welcome. Here's hoping for the best.
Cheers!

 

[Kelly]

That gold clasp is to die for.

I picked up knotting last year and then put it down, and have forgotten most of what I learned. Back to the drawing board. Yours looks very nicely done!

Kelly in Victoria

 

[KarinK]

I am sure that unless someone gets a lot closer to your neck than you would feel comfortable with, no one will notice the imperfections you are talking about

Emeralds and pearls are great together! I am contemplating making a necklace of emerald beads to nest below my Tahitian pearls.

- Karin

 

[Narcissa]

Kelly, I too dropped knotting shortly after I learned - discouraged with my clumsy-looking results. This is my third re-entry, and this time I began with more patience and determination to keep at it till the kinks started to work out.
That is a pretty clasp, isn't it? Too bad it's not solid!

Karin, thanks for the comments, and of course I am pickier than most of anyone's audience, and no, I don't generally invite that close an inspection!

Please do show us all when you come up with an emerald accompaniment to your Tahitians.

 

[GemGeek]

Beautiful pieces! Yummy colors, too.

 

[Narcissa]

Thank you very much, GemGeek. Of course the pearl colors are more beautiful and complex than my lil' pic can show. I have worn them every minute since finishing them!

 

[waimeamomi]

I use 49 strand flexile wire usually for gems and pearls, unless using something like diamond beads (teeny holes). They stay flexible, and the pearls seem to be OK. Maybe it's just an excuse to string instead of knot!

 

[Narcissa]

Hi waimeamomi,

When you say

and the pearls seem to be OK

do you mean you've never had damage from them rubbing against a stone?
Have you ever had a stone crumble or break? ( I had a golden topaz break while knotting in a recent experiment.)
Have you kept them for yourself over time? Or did they go out to customers?
Sorry! Really don't mean to sound like the Spanish Inquisition! Just hoping for more details, and to spare myself painful experience, since there are people ahead of me on the path.