I found these unusual clay beads in a Scrapstore shop but I like the design and shape of the beads so I’m going to restring them using Griffin Bead Thread and keep them in the same design which I can easily put over my head.
Designing a Bracelet
I’ve got together a group of lose beads that all complement each other in colour and shape and I’m going to show how I put together a new bracelet design.
Here’s the group.
Pearl Stars
There were quite a few left over pearls in my boxes so at Christmas I used a Pinterest post to make up these Pearl stars. I’m going to give you the basics but you must use the thickest thread that you can get to go through the holes otherwise your Pearl stars will be a bit floppy! I suggest you pick up one of your pearls first then practice passing the threaded needle through it and make sure it will go through 3 times!
More Complicated Bead Patterns
This necklace was sent to me recently for restoration and I ended up completely restringing it after 3 attempts to get the pattern right and having to start again 3 times!
Bead Netting
Sometimes I get sent a beading job that’s completely new to me and this happened recently with an old bead collar of glass beads and shells .I had to search online to discover what pattern to use and I eventually chose horizontal netting which had been used for the original necklace. The picture shows the necklace when it was sent to me with areas of damage highlighted. Originally I’d planned to simply repair the piece but once I had got to grips with the netting pattern it appealed so much to me I took it apart and restrung it!
RESTRINGING
Here are some of my latest projects.
Tassels
Tassels are very popular for boho style designs and I often get asked to make new ones for Mala Necklaces I restring. I like to use an old plastic credit card to wind the thread onto and then cut the tassels to the length I want them when they are done.
Take Care of Pearls
Careful with your pearls! They should never be worn in water and particularly in a swimming pool where chemicals will damage them beyond repair!
if you clean pearls in warm water dry them before putting them away or water will damage threads causing them to fray and break.
if you think you may still wear pearls in water despite this ask for them to be strung on power line rather than silk, which is a natural material.
What is Jet?
Real Jet is very light and is a type of coal.Older jewellery tends to be chipped or cracked as Jet is quite fragile and was often carved Intricately.
If you put a drop of water on real jet it should absorb it.French Jet which is faceted glass will not absorb water and is much heavier than real jet. Other jet replica beads can be plastic or resin and can usually be spotted by looking for lines from the manufacture.
This is a false jet necklace.
How to clean pearls
I find pearls can be very grubby when they are sent to me for restringing! For big bits of make-up or food (yes really) I use a new scalpel blade to gently remove the dirt.
After that I like to wash the whole strand of pearls in a bowl of tepid soapy water(I use grated hand soap NEVER washing soap) after washing gently you need to rinse all the soap off and dry on a clean linen tea towel. When I have dried the pearls I will restring them and finally use my fingers to rub in LUSH lip salve which comes in a flat metal tin.Other organic lip salves or even skin creams will work but nothing tinted or scented with essential oils!
To keep pearls in good condition and to avoid broken thread always put on scent and skin care products BEFORE the pearls!And remove any bit of dried on food or make up.