Beautiful new pearls... for someone

When I saw these 15mm stacked keshis, sold by Kojima Company, I bought them immediately. ("Stacked" means that the hole is drilled in the centre, so the pearl is strung like a cheerio.)

Big, casual, lustrous: my kind of pearl.
And the play of colours! Soft biscuit, dove grey, glowing white, a hint of peachiness in a few.

A sixteen-inch strand is too short for me, so Sarah Canizzaro of Kojima Company and I decided to add a few graceful silver Balinese box beads. (At the right side, you can also see the magnetic ball clasp which can be worn to the side.)

But–though I tried, desperately hoping–the finished necklace was too short, 17 inches. (Normally a 16-inch strand will string up to at least 18", but with stacks, you are not knotting between every pearl, so can't count on that much length.)

Adding more beads would interrupt the sumptuous sweep of the pearl stacks and unbalance the design.
This felt like finding out that Johnny Depp is too short for me.

I wanted to show the allure of stacked keshis in the hands of a talented designer. Someone who can wear a 17" necklace will love this as I did
. If that's you, félicitations!

Marvelous service from Kojima; I'll be working with them to find longer pearls, but like the oyster, must be patient while nature and Sarah do their magic.

Comments

Gorgeous and so not the classic string of pearls - pearls for the modern woman.
sallymandy said…
Beautiful! Sorry they didn't work out for you though. Seventeen inches would be too short for me as well.
Anonymous said…
Georgeous Pearls! I have elongated a too-short strand of mine with ever-so-tiny 1mm round Moonstone facettted ( how on earth did they do this on these tiny beads?) beads. They are semi-sheer, sparkle and are only a tad larger then a knot. From a little distance you can not say WHAT it is between the pearls, but it certainly adds the cm's I needed..
I love the stacked ones - may look out for a strand some day :-))
Duchesse said…
Imgen; Exactly! I have classic too, though and am now wearing the more unusual varieties.
Sallymandy: Thanks for the support :) So many necklaces are 16 inches, there must be a lit of slender necks out there.

Châteliane: That's a great way to sneak in a few extra cms. I have seen it, and also tiny gold beads (white or yellow.) Works for many types of pearls.
mette said…
I have never seen pearls strung this way, but then I am an amateur on this subject. Too bad, that they didn´t fit. Is it possible to add more of those flat ones to the string? I assume, you got your money back. The mix of the added pearls adds personality, and is to my liking too.
I didn't know that Johnny Depp was short! LOL
The pearls are lovely, was there ever a pearl not to love?
materfamilias said…
So sorry about your disappointment -- what a gorgeous piece you helped design, with those silver Balinese beads, an unexpected complement that works beautifully.
I'll keep my fingers crossed that you're able to realize your vision for your own neck soon, having built one for someone else's . . .
Mardel said…
I saw those pearls and wondered how to wear them; you snapped them up and I am sorry they did not work out for you because the necklace is stunning. As a person who finds a 17" necklace to be the best length, it seems I am always lengthening or shortening things, and it is rare that something is so perfect.
Duchesse said…
mestsan: If it were possible to add more pearls I would have- no more exist. Those "flat ones" are not pearls; they are silver box beads. Adding more would imbalance the design. Kojima has an excellent (30 day) return policy.

materrfamilias: Thanks, I am hoping too.

Mardel: They are even more gorgeous in person. Might they be for you?
Northmoon said…
Beautiful shades of pale and the silver works so well with the pearls.
SewingLibrarian said…
Duchesse, I'm so sorry they didn't work out for you. But there will be more pearls in the future. I'm sure something will work out for you. Mardel, shall I enable you? You should buy them because they are the perfect length for you - and it would keep them in the blog family, so to speak. :-)
Beatnheart said…
What a lovely design and great pearls...

I am having a Giveaway right now over at my Humble Blog...Please stop by...Thank you for all your great support in the past...I am striving to make jewelry at a great price for women of my age..Cynthia @ Beatnheart...
Frugal Scholar said…
All I can say is: just gorgeous.
Duchesse said…
SewingLibarian: Think Mardel would be delighted- and so would I.

Beatnheart: Thanks for letting us know!

Frugal: Yes, all I can do is tell myself there will be others, only an object, etc.
Tiffany said…
Goodness, I just spent WAY too much time on that website, ogling all the beautiful pearls. I was given a classic (1930s) pearl necklace recently, but it's a little old-fashioned for anything but the most formal event, so I'm looking out for some more unusual ones ...
s. said…
Nothing to add, other than Ooooooooooooh: pretty!
Duchesse said…
tiffany: I've posted often on restyling pearls just like those you describe. You could use Kojima for this, too. For example, mixing your classic pearls with some of the more casual ones in a multistrand bracelet.

Most of the time, even on a petite woman, the pearl necklace that was charming at 18 or 25 no longer works. You could restyle or give to a younger woman whom you love, and who it suits.
Belle de Ville said…
Duchesse, I just wanted to give you the heads up on cultured keshi pearls being sold as natural keshi pearls.
Here is the link from National Jeweler:
http://www.nationaljewelernetwork.com/njn/content_display/colored-stones/grading/e3i7278144fcfbad6f73697e9c903a75f77
Duchesse said…
Belle: Have seen this article and thank you for thinking of me. I would not trust vendors at a craft/art show to know about this, though. Kojima Company, from whom I bought my most recent keshis definitely know. The cultures are easy to see with x-ray but not by eye.
Mardel said…
Thank you Duchesse, I have received the pearls and they are beautiful.

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