First pearl purchase -- opinions/suggestions?

[enbcfsobe]

So...after a lot of browsing and reading I bought some keshi pearls online from a vendor that has been used by folks on PS before. I was lusting after the silver-blue color of the akoyas from PP, but wanted some funky shapes and a more casual look. I found 2 strands of silver-blue keshi listed at 8-12mm, 2 16" strands, and after much agonizing over whether to buy these or just go for some of the more common metallic or pastel keshi strands I went ahead and ordered. Getting ahead of myself a bit, I also ordered beader's secret in 2 colors (Mist & Sky) from Pattye and needles, as well as a shortener clasp from an etsy findings vendor. All but the last have now arrived. Plan is to make an endless 35-36" strand out of two 16" strands and then use the shortener to give options for doubling.

But, I am learning how complicated it is to buy pearls online, and realizing that maybe I should have asked for more advice before ordering The pearls were not listed with a grade, and perhaps I should have asked more questions. I am happy overall with the color -- it is more silver than blue, but has some lovely overtones in blues and purples. The majority of the pearls seem to be high luster or maybe even metallic (I think, but I'm no expert!). I will say, however, that I was surprised at 2 things -- (1) the difference in surface quality between the 2 strands and (2) the seriousness of some of the surface blemishes. The color and size were pretty accurate to the pics, but the blemishes were not apparent. I have a 7 day return period (they arrived yesterday). I paid around $50 per strand including shipping. This is around the same cost as what look like quite nice white/metallic keshi from some recommended vendors, though the recent etsy find by crickett sells keshi of similar size for substantially less (though shipping/returns to/from China are not convenient to me at all).

There do not seem to be any similar color pearls available anywhere, and while am a little disappointed with the surfaces of some, I am still leaning toward keeping them. I did want to figure out whether I grossly overpaid and should return or whether the variation I am seeing is typical in keshi/baroque pearls, and also to gather suggestions for what to do with the less attractive pearls (leave them out and lose the length? wire-wrap them into earrings?). Probably 6-8 of the pearls have pretty obvious issues that surprised me a bit. See pics below and thanks in advance for your thoughts!!

ETA: these are all iphone pics, sorry!

In diffuse sunlight (by window in PM, sun on other side of house)


Some seem quite lustrous and blue


Others seem to have white splotches that aren't lustrous at all (is this what is meant by chalky?); probably 2-4 have larger areas of this


This is a better example of a dull white area


A few have a pinhole, which doesn't bother me so much (should it?)


(These are under the overhead lights after sundown)

This shows one with pretty purple reflections but an odd white dull spot on the "horn" at the top


This was the most troubling -- it has a huge cavity that is dull and kindof icky looking


Another good picture of a white dull splotch

 

[pearlsngems]

I've bought keshi that had the same issues. I'd say these are pretty common flaws.

Sometimes pearls can be placed in a strand in a position that conceals the defect, or near the clasp so it will be in the back of your neck.

If that doesn't do the trick, I just omit the pearl from the strand. If it looks bad enough that I don't want it in a strand, I won't want it in earrings either.

Are you happy with the strand otherwise, and can you still make the piece you want? You can make up for lost length by including other beads or spacers in the strand and/or by using a longer clasp, such as a hook and eye.

 

[enbcfsobe]

pearlsngems -- thanks so much!! i had a feeling this might be somewhat normal for keshi when purchased in bulk (as opposed to in jewelry), but i have no context. hard to learn without buying, though! i was hoping to make an endless strand, thereby avoiding the need to learn how to do gimp/french wire on my first knotting try (just a bit lazy), but i could potentially do a clasp if i need the length. i'm not a huge fan of the spacer beads on knotted strands (at least not in photos, haven't seen this IRL). hopefully once i add the knots, even if i pull 2 or 3 of the worst ones i will still have close to the right length. i suppose i can also leave them all in and if i hate it i can always redo the strand. ETA: my thought with earrings was actually doing some sort of decorative cap or wire cage, rather than just doing a bead drop, or doing a bead drop but in a way where the not so nice bits would be facing my neck/underside of my ear.

on a related question -- should i assume that the temp strand is already sorted, or should i sort them myself? and how do you sort for an endless strand anyway -- do you still put the best in the middle and then just plan to wear those in the front? i don't mind sorting (i actually kindof want to) but i don't want to waste a bunch of time if it is likely already done for me (esp b/c i don't know all that much).

 

[ckrickett]

I ALWAYS sort when I do my projects. when I buy a strand or loose I sort then sort then SORT. sometimes I even find a really beautiful colored quality pearl in a mix of super low grade. I have a small assortment of little baroque and keshi pearls with really gorgeous luster and colors. I am 1/2 way to a necklace I want to make with them! will be another year before I can find enough to go with the rest!


If I were doing endless I usually would figure out what would be usually worn in the front and the back, and if I could I would make sure the nicest are strung so they hang in the front. I did an endless rope a few years ago and I put the teeniest little seed bead where I knotted so I knew how to drape it with the nicest in the front. took a few placement scenarios to work, but it came out cute.

as for the quality. I see they dull almost like the luster color is peeling off a lot. but usually in budget strands. I usually just sort them out and if they are horrible I just toss them (blasphemy I know). But I don't have the room to keep rejects. It's luck of the draw sometimes. just make sure you are paying accordingly. When I got my BBAs the price was really cheap but 1/3 of them were unusable, but the price reflected the quality and the vendor had lots of photos so I knew what I was buying when I did. After sorting and pairing with some gems I ended up with a VERY nice piece, just took some extra work and thought to work around the pearls.

If you can ask people for additional pictures, sometimes they can and will and thats always good!

 

[pearlsngems]

With an endless strand it has to be long enough to go over your head! That is about 23" or so. Having a clasp allows you to make a shorter necklace. You could always add an extender later if you use the same type clasp, or a compatible one.

Learning to use gimp is not really that hard, but if you decide to make an endless strand, I would still plan to arrange the pearls in necklace shape on a flocked beading board, with a definite front and back. This is because all your beads do not look alike. Some are better, some worse, some larger, some smaller.

I always sort loosely strung pearls. This is how:

1. Remove the pearls from their temporary string and put them all in one container.

2. Divide your work area into 3 categories: the best looking pearls, the worst looking pearls and everything in between.

3. Pick one pearl out of your loose bowl at a time, examine it and categorize it, not agonizing too much about it. Go with your gut. Your first instinct is probably right.
When you are done sorting them, set aside the worst looking ones for possible elimination. (I generally toss them out later.)

4. Now look at the best ones. These will become the pearls you place front and center in the strand, unless they are visibly smaller than the rest (in which case you can just work them in among the next-best-quality pearls.)

Arrange them on your beading board in a way that looks nice to you, taking into consideration colors and shapes. Start from the center and work up the sides. A useful tool for this is a pair of bead tweezers that have spoon-shaped tips.

5. Do the same with the group of next-best pearls, until the necklace is complete. This can take a while.

6. Don't skip this next step! What looks good on the beading board may not look good on your neck!
String the pearls temporarily on wire, beading wire or thread, with spring bead stopper clips to prevent the beads from falling off. Make sure the clips are secure!
Hold the necklace up to your neck and look in the mirror. Walk into a different room and check again. Make sure you look at them in natural light. The colors pop differently in different light. If you don't like the look, you have time to rearrange them before knotting them.

When I speak of spacer beads I do not just mean the 2mm round gold/silver balls or rondels. You can incorporate gemstone beads either individually or in groups, knotting them in as well so that they don't come in direct contact with the pearls. Sunstone has been used very nicely this way, and labradorite; I enjoy using tourmaline beads also.

 

[ennui]

Excellent advice here.

I'll just add ... you want the best pearls for earrings. They are near your face.

For the bad pearls, I wouldn't throw them away. Scatter them in your plants or your fish tank or something.

 

[enbcfsobe]

thanks everyone for your advice and instruction!! i have a lot to learn, and am lucky to have such a great resource.
so it sounds like this is not super unusual to have a few "bad eggs" in a batch? i'm not sure if these are considered "budget" -- i wasn't able to find much to compare (other than some silver-platinum tahitian keshi that were several hundred per strand). does it seem like i did OK on these?
i'm still not sure how i feel about adding beads -- i think i may have to just try sorting and see how the layout looks and how the pearls look together once sorted.
i will definitely reference all of this later!!

 

[pearlsngems]

Knots add length, as I'm sure you realize. I'm finding that I can expect about .65mm (.065 cm) per knot.

Multiply .065 by the number of knots, then divide by 2.54 cm per inch, and you should have an idea of how many inches your knots will add. If your pearls are on the long side, as they seem to be, the knots may not add as many inches as you expected.

 

[enbcfsobe]

pearlsngems -- thanks for the figures on knots; the link on the other board to the calculator is no longer valid. based on that, even estimating 10mm length for most of the pearls, that is around 40 pearls per strand, which I think would eventually get me only around 33 inches of length. that should be enough to go over my head (even my somewhat giant noggin), but not clear if it will be enough to double. i think i need to find/invent a clasp that looks like a design element when unclasped (not sure I'm explaining that well). or maybe i will play with some rock crystals or other stuff from the bead stash. or maybe i will just make a shorter strand of the nicest pearls. we'll see.

 

[pearlsngems]

There is another option that is more ambitious, but it could look really great: turn the strand into a tin cup style, using only the very best pearls, or even connect all the pearls through wire-wrapping.

I'll go ahead and describe what is involved, on the chance that you want to try it. I'm going to be doing this myself with a strand of pearls for my daughter when my chain arrives in the mail.

For the tin cup, you would need to purchase:
• fine-gauge wire (26, 28 or even 30-- the higher the number, the thinner the wire). Save money by buying gold filled wire; practice your technique first using cheap base metal wire from a craft store like Michael's.

• chain (or other connectors). The chain would have to have at least some links that are large enough for the wire to pass through. You could buy bulk chain and add a clasp with jump rings, or buy a long chain (or 2 shorter chains) that is long enough for your finished necklace, and cut it up. This second option is easier.)
If you prefer to use other connectors instead of chain, the options are many. Here are examples from Etsy, searching for "connectors":
https://www.etsy.com/search?q=connectors&order=most_relevant&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US

• bail-making pliers (Beadsmith 1.5mm and 2mm bail making pliers are great; find on Etsy). The advantage of bail making pliers over round nose pliers is that they produce loops that are a consistent size.

• wire cutters (get at craft store.)

Using the wire cutters you would then cut the chain into identical short lengths, 1- 1.5 inches long, leaving a similar length attached to both clasp ends. (There may be chain left over.) You would then need to cut a piece of wire long enough to pass through each pearl plus to make a small wrapped wire loop on either end, using the bail making pliers. The wrapped loops have to connect on either side to the chain.
If using connectors instead of chain, wire wrap each pearl to the connectors. Finally attach a clasp to the connectors with jump rings. Or don't use a clasp at all-- make it endless. Use a heavier gauge wire for this-- maybe 24.

Alternatively you could make the same wrapped loops on either side of the pearl and just link each to the next pearl, omitting the chain. You would want to use heavier wire for this, perhaps 24 gauge or even 22 gauge if it fits through the pearls. This would allow you to use more of your pearls.

Sorry for all the edits! I kept thinking of more I wanted to say.

 

[enbcfsobe]

thanks pearlsngems -- your instructions are amazing! i would funny enough be more comfortable in some ways with wire wrapping since i've done a bit of wire and chain maille jewelry making. maybe i could even do RG filled and have a color combo akin to that lovely BBA tin cup I saw on another thread. or do oxidized SS like crickett's ripple project. i think both would have a nice contrast. i feel like WG would make them read whiter rather than bluer.
i might have to rethink the length if i go this route -- i'm not sure whether i'd wear a 30+ inch tin cup. i have a white FW off-round WG tin cup that i bought years ago that I rarely wear, but i think that because the pearls are smaller (6mm maybe?) it just reads too young (I'm mid-30s). maybe i'd wear this more because the pearls have more presence? if i went the shorter tin cup route, i could probably get a necklace, bracelet, and earrings with the better pearls from these strands.
on the other hand, part of me though feels like if i'm going to do a tin cup that i want to do tahitians, and that if what i really want now is a long strand, maybe i should return these and buy some less expensive white keshi in a somewhat larger quantity so i could have enough good ones to do the initial project. though by the time i've paid for return shipping i'm not really saving much money. yet a third hand (or whatever) feels like I could try making the initial project, and if it doesn't work I can go the short strand or tin cup route. i feel like an 18" strand is doable from what I have, and would still look quite nice (though I'd have to face my gimp-related fears).
so many things to think about -- thank you everyone for all your help!

 

[pearlsngems]

...yet a third hand (or whatever) feels like I could try making the initial project....

If you do that, you could add length by attaching the pearls to a connector instead of a clasp. Skip the gimp and just pass the needle and thread through the loops of the connector. If you choose a large decorative connector, it could even be worn in front. (In which case you'd want some of the nicer pearls near the connector, where they would be noticed.)

For that matter, since you do wire work, you can make your own, any size or style you wish, with a wrapped loop on either end. Being able to work with wire gives you all sorts of possibilities.

 

[ckrickett]

Wire wrapping is a GREAT idea for the best pearls. I love who wire wrapped necklaces look! If you are comfortable with that you so should!!!