Restringing a Vintage Jadeite Necklace?

[mina78]

Hi all,

I'd really appreciate your help. I'm having my vintage jadeite bead necklace restrung professionally, as it's currently held together with modern nylon thread and the finishing is very low quality, especially the knotting near the clasp (see pics), and I'm unsure how to proceed. I'd like to have it restrung to the highest possible standard, but I'm unsure what to request they do to it. My main questions are:

1. Do I replace the faceted crystal rondelle spacers? A lot of them appear to be replacements themselves, and are of poorer quality. Therefore should I replace them all with equivalent modern replacements of a higher quality?

2. Do I request that they place a knot before and after each bead and rondelle? Or do I keep it as it currently is which is unknotted, and where the beads and spacers can move along the wire freely?

3. What thread material and colour would be best for this type of restringing? I'm worried that any opaque thread might be easily seen through the transparent crystal spacers.

4. What style of restringing would be most sympathetic to how this would have been strung originally?

5. Would it be wiser to ask them the restring the necklace as a single strand?

Images of the necklace in its current state can be found below:

 

[PreRaphaelite]

Absolutely gorgeous, and the clasp is too.

Its great to have the choice to restring in several ways. And you can plan to string it over and over, into new looks. If you prefer to keep this classical/original-ish version of this necklace, would you change the spacers out for pearls? Or other stones?

For the length, how comfortable is it on you? Would you wear it more often as a multi strand bracelet? You could change the clasp for a jade and diamond one? (safekeeping that clasp though, it is lovely).

For me, I'm an odd bird, so I'd set aside the spacers altogether (strung into a choker maybe?) and have just the green stones restrung, individually knotted, on a contrast color silk/nylon (bright coral red, black, sapphire blue etc). But then I've recently watched Indiana Jones movies and the character Willy Scott with her art deco asian flair has influenced me. (Her song is "Anything Goes" so there we have it!)

 

[PreRaphaelite]

You could even add carved beads, or pearls... the options are endless!