In an earlier post I talked about how I often used to go to jewellery classes nearby but now The Bead Hold has moved to rural Taranaki and is now available on-line only. Now that I can’t go to the classes, I have purchased several kitsets/ instruction sheets covering a range of different techniques to try and am working my way through them to see what I like best.
“Detailed instructions to make a pearl strung necklace on silk cord with a knot between every bead. The ‘sneaky’ technique has 2 threads going through each bead. Learn how to attach a clasp properly, use French Wire (gimp) and how to knot for a classic and professional result.”
I really liked the idea of learning to do this because I have a set of pearls from my mother that I wanted to re-string but wasn’t sure how. I started with some golden brown fresh-water pearls to try it out on and was very pleased with the result. The instructions are really easy to follow and full of helpful hints like selecting the size of the pearl-stringing silk (perlseide) based on the hole in the pearl rather than the size of the pearl itself – it needs to fit through the hole twice. The perlseide supplied comes with the needle attached (which is probably just as well because the hole is so small it would take forever to thread yourself).
Of course if you buy the kitset you don’t have to worry about that as all the thinking is done for you. Nia (aka Queen Bead) is developing a great selection of instructions – some free and some you pay for – and increasing the range of kitsets you can purchase with several different colours and size combinations. Although it is perhaps not as creative as choosing everything yourself, you can be sure that you are getting everything you need for the project and what the finished result will be.
You don’t need any special equipment or tools for this except a rubber tipped beading clamp (and you could probably improvise with a clothes peg or something similar if you had to) – just a bead mat, some sharp scissors and some clear glue or nail polish.
The kitsets are cost-effective and a great present that you can either make up yourself or give the kitset itself.
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