Knot easy: Stringing pearls
In my 20s, I was modestly talented in handicrafts. I learned to knit, and made beautifully sewn and finished mens' shirts. But my talents lay fallow for decades, until I decided to do something with the many strands of pearls I bought and never wore, because the clasps were too cheap. "Why not learn the useful, relaxing skill of pearl stringing?" I thought, "and rehab these pearls myself? How hard can it be?"
I enrolled for The Sassy Bead Company's evening class and traversed the city in a -20C evening. I met the perky 22 year old instructor, Susan, and the lone other student, a middle-aged woman named Alison who wanted to make a necklace for her daughter. We were given glass pearls, enough for a bracelet. When I asked why we weren't stringing a necklace, Susan simply said, "You can try that next." (Translation: "Let's see what you've got, besides opposable thumbs.")
Just like painting a room, it turns out that prep is everything; you have to create those end thingies that the clasp hooks to, then set the clasp, all with no twists or frays. She demonstrated the intricate pearl stringing technique, sliding and knotting the beads in a kind of syncopated cat's cradle. I tried it; sweat was popping off my forehead and the thread was streaked with blood. Everything seemed to jam up on my pathetic string in several dimensions at once, while time stood still and my breath laboured like mile 22 of a marathon.
Alison's strand was neat and even; turns out she's an accomplished beader. Mine was lumpy tortured mess. Stringing pearls turns out to be one of those tasks best left to the pros, like making croissants or pouring concrete.
Below, a video of the women from Pearl Paradise. Show us how it's done, ladies!
I enrolled for The Sassy Bead Company's evening class and traversed the city in a -20C evening. I met the perky 22 year old instructor, Susan, and the lone other student, a middle-aged woman named Alison who wanted to make a necklace for her daughter. We were given glass pearls, enough for a bracelet. When I asked why we weren't stringing a necklace, Susan simply said, "You can try that next." (Translation: "Let's see what you've got, besides opposable thumbs.")
Just like painting a room, it turns out that prep is everything; you have to create those end thingies that the clasp hooks to, then set the clasp, all with no twists or frays. She demonstrated the intricate pearl stringing technique, sliding and knotting the beads in a kind of syncopated cat's cradle. I tried it; sweat was popping off my forehead and the thread was streaked with blood. Everything seemed to jam up on my pathetic string in several dimensions at once, while time stood still and my breath laboured like mile 22 of a marathon.
Alison's strand was neat and even; turns out she's an accomplished beader. Mine was lumpy tortured mess. Stringing pearls turns out to be one of those tasks best left to the pros, like making croissants or pouring concrete.
Below, a video of the women from Pearl Paradise. Show us how it's done, ladies!
Comments
I've done a bit of bead work and it is fiddly.
Surprisingly, in Switzerland, a country one associates with fine precision, they do only one type of knot which in my opinion is far too small so that the pearls start to touch after a few months.
I remember being told, and then discovering for myself, that a string of pearls changes constantly. The knots get smaller, and strings stretches slightly and becomes more flexible, so that constant servicing and upkeep is necessary. No wonder women grow so attached to their pearls, it's like maintaining an extension of yourself!