Stringing advice?

[glitterata]

I''m loving everybody''s pearls--so glad the mods gave us this forum!!

Anyway, I was wondering about having pearls--or other beadlike jewels--restrung. I have a string of pearls that my Dad gave me back when I was in college, a zillion years ago. I only wear it two or three times a year, if that, but it''s been enough years that it might be time to have it restrung. I also have some other necklaces that could use restringing: a string of antique jet, a crystal and chrysoprase necklace, a jade necklace, a string of amethyst beads.

Where should I take the to have them restrung? Is this something that any jeweler can do? Are some better than others? Are some more expensive than others? Is it something I could learn to do myself? (I''m fairly dextrous, but I''m no Michaelangelo.)

Any advice is welcome.

Thanks, everybody.

 

[JulieN]

You can learn to do it yourself, but should cost between $15-$20 for you to give it to a jeweler, who will give it to a 3rd party.

I know local jewelry/bead shops, as well as places that specialize in pearls, and even street vendors who do this stuff.

 

[glitterata]

Thank you, Julie!

 

[Pandora II]

I get mine restrung every 18 months or so (depending on how I think the silk is stretched) - I give them a good clean in luke-warm water before they go in(washing damages the thread not the pearls hence why I wait till they''re being restrung).

I take them to Mikimoto to have them restrung - mainly because they restring them Japanese style for me rather than Western style with a knot between every pearl. They also charge exactly the same (about £25) as everywhere else here, so I''d rather take them there than elsewhere.

They count them all, measure them with calipers and photocopy them before accepting them for restringing - we each get a copy signed by both them and me and the pearls are then matched up when I go to collect them.


Other beads I take to normal jewellers. I spent a load of time trying to learn how to string properly and it drove me crazy - despite being very good with my hands - it worked out cheaper in time, thread and post-traumatic stress counselling to pay someone else to do it for me!

 

[glitterata]

Pandora, what is the Japanese style of stringing? Do they not use knots between pearls?

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 3/9/2009 12:15:51 PM
Author: glitterata
Pandora, what is the Japanese style of stringing? Do they not use knots between pearls?

yes but it isn''t just one big string that has knots in it so the knots are smaller.
They use a smaller double string and only one strand has a knot.
Until now I didn''t know the name of it but years ago(30) when my mom had her pearls restrung they were done in the Japanese style and it looked much better.

http://www.firemountaingems.com/beading_howtos/beading_projects.asp?docid=6918

 

[glitterata]

Thank you, Karl--so interesting! Now I want to find somewhere that can do that style of knotting.

 

[Pandora II]

With mine, only the first 6 pearls on each side are knotted and the largest in the middle is knotted either side.

It''s a very useful method for graduated pearls and avoids lumpiness or the pearls not lying properly.

Mikimoto string according to the type of strand and size of pearls that you have - since mine are from the 1940''s (they dated them from the clasps) they are strung as they would have been originally.

One of my sets was strung this way when I bought them, the others had been strung with a knot between every pearl and looked so much better when they were re-done.

I suppose it is a bit more risky, but I check the silk regularly and have them restrung regularly so I''ve not been as worried as I thought I would be.

ETA: Having seen Karl''s post, I had a good look at mine and there are definitely only knots at the top (double silk is correct though). Next time I take them in I''ll ask about this technique as well.

 

[glitterata]

Pandora, do you have any problems with the pearls rubbing against each other and abrading?

 

[Pandora II]

None at all - the nacre looks totally fine. As they''re early mikii''s they were grown for about 7+ years which is a LOT longer than most pearls are grown for now. So, the nacre is pretty thick on them. Neither strand shows signs of wear.

They also sit very flat which may help. Having seen the second strand before and after re-stringing I''m definitely keeping these ones Japanese style.

If I had a strand of 7mm pearls that weren''t graduated at all I''d definitely want them knotted between each pearl.

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 3/8/2009 7:28:29 PM
Author: JulieN
You can learn to do it yourself, but should cost between $15-$20 for you to give it to a jeweler, who will give it to a 3rd party.

I know local jewelry/bead shops, as well as places that specialize in pearls, and even street vendors who do this stuff.

JulieN,

where do you live that it only costs $15-$20 to restring a strand of pearls?!Most jewelers in my area charge about 2-3 dollars an inch for re-stringing and knotting beads or pearls.The average for an 18 inch strand is about$40.Had a quote from a competitor jeweler who was charging a dollar a bead for a knotted strand.I like your quotes much better!

 

[Steel]

Date: 4/11/2009 12:47:15 AM
Author: jewelerman

Date: 3/8/2009 7:28:29 PM
Author: JulieN
You can learn to do it yourself, but should cost between $15-$20 for you to give it to a jeweler, who will give it to a 3rd party.

I know local jewelry/bead shops, as well as places that specialize in pearls, and even street vendors who do this stuff.

JulieN,

where do you live that it only costs $15-$20 to restring a strand of pearls?!Most jewelers in my area charge about 2-3 dollars an inch for re-stringing and knotting beads or pearls.The average for an 18 inch strand is about$40.Had a quote from a competitor jeweler who was charging a dollar a bead for a knotted strand.I like your quotes much better!

I would pay 40 in a heartbeat - everything is so expensive here....

 

[mandyd]

I have mine re-strung in India every year, for ONE $. They are strung in front of me at my jewellers. I have no idea what technique they use but I like to have my larger pearls knotted for safety reasons. If the string breaks I risk losing only one pearl, my mother said. They lie very flat and the knots are so small you can barely see them, so it is either knotted the Japanese way or it could well be a special Indian way as pearls abounded in India just as much as diamonds.