Pearls have been used in jewelry designs for hundreds of years. They have a timeless, classic quality, and beauty that cannot be matched by any other jewelry component, stone, glass, or metal.
Pearls come in a huge variety of graded quality levels, natural colors, sizes, and shapes, and also in dyed colors.
So depending on the design, the cost you are looking for, and the color, choosing cultured freshwater pearls for making jewelry can be quite a chore.
One of the most interesting aspect of cultured freshwater pearls are the many interesting shapes that they can come in.
This article is just an introduction to the many shapes, colors, and pearls you can include in jewelry, and you can click through any of the sections to browse more choices on Amazon.
When you buy most pearls for designing jewelry, you have to buy them in a strand. This is true even with the more expensive versions. It is only when you get to the very top in price levels that you can buy pearls in pairs (meant for earrings), then they are usually only half drilled for post findings.
Rice pearls are one of the most common shapes, usually with holes drilled from end to end, and come in a multitude of natural and dyed colors. Pearls are sold in diameter sizes, so check the size on a listing to make sure it is what you want. Sizes are generally given in millimeters.
Nugget and potato pearls refers to the shapes, either nugget shaped or potato shaped. These are generally drilled through the widest part of the pearl, but sometimes, can be top drilled.
Pearls cannot be strung on a wide cord or chain, but must be strung on a fine silk or polyester thread, or a fine wire. The holes in pearls are difficult to drill wider because it is easy to cause the pearls to disintegrate.
Pearls are one of the most fragile gemstones, and need special care. They should never be scrubbed or brushed, and keep best in a soft cloth or bag. You can use soap and water to clean pearls, but should use a gentle hand dishwashing liquid or liquid hand soap.
If you go to a pearl importer to buy your pearls, or a bead show, you will be amazed at all of the different shapes that cultured pearls come in. I love to sift through the varying shapes, colors, and styles of freshwater pearls.
The most interesting pearls are the stick pearls, that almost do not look like pearls at all. They make some really unusual jewelry designs. Stick shaped pearls are usually drilled from side to side.
Teardrop shapes are really nice for a very simple necklace. They can be separated by knots in the cord, and held in place to look like they are floating.
The modern way of adding pearls to a necklace is to use a bead stringing technique, treating pearls like any other bead added to the design. But the traditional pearl stringing technique is called pearl knotting. As each pearl is added, a knot is made, spacing the pearls apart, and giving extra security to the necklace. If the clasp breaks or the cord breaks, only one pearl will be lost.
Pearls are somewhat heavy for beads, and this adds security to the design along with a safety clasp. Pearl knotting can be tedious, but is very easy to learn, and creates a very classic design for a pearl necklace.
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