Every since I reclaimed a too-short wooden necklace in April I've been thinking about beads and beading and a few necklaces that I have but no longer wear. Exploring the options of stringing beads appeals to me as I love colors and colored stones and am intrigued by the idea of making beaded necklaces. If I were to pursue this further I would need to learn to knot silk well, as this technique fits my style more than most simple beaded necklaces, but I realize there are other techniques that would be fun to explore.
But as much as I admire other people's beaded necklaces and earrings, they all too often fall a little too far into the crafty and hand-made spectrum to fit my taste. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with either crafty or hand-made, I appreciate both, but there is a definite disconnect between what I see, and even admire in the bead store and what I would actually wear.
Enter the Chan Luu wrap bracelet. Garnet Hill had some of these with pearls a while back, and although I never got around to ordering one, they never completely left my mind either. When someone in my knitting group was making a similar bracelet a a couple of months back, my interest was definitely piqued. So I went off to the bead store.
My friend was using glass beads, and they were lovely. The bead store had a lovely selection of glass "pearls" and a few freshwater pearls, but somehow they did not appeal to me. Most of them were dyed and I did not really like they way they caught, or failed to catch, the light. So a search was on for pearls, and truthfully I did not know what I was doing. But I found some small, rice-shaped (oval) pearls that were inexpensive enough that I was willing to take a chance and I ordered them. They were not fabulous, but they were pretty and had a soft glow that I could accept. They are a little larger than the seed pearls, but I have decided I rather like the size and the shape.
Then I found a Swarovski crystal button to use as a toggle for the closure and I was off.
After the initial period of clumsiness, I found that making this bracelet was quite relaxing and enjoyable. I want to make more. I wake up with dreams of bracelets dancing in my head, although there are one can only wear so many wrap bracelets. I am thinking that these may prove to be great gifts for nieces and and great-nieces come the holidays. At the moment I am obsessing about lemon quartz, although I don't have any and I am thinking that my next version will be using some tiny orange beads that have been reclaimed from an old necklace. This should be very appropriate for a young girl rapidly approaching her teens.
But back to my bracelet. I loved making this, although there was quite a bit of redoing and adjusting as I learned the proper tension to keep the beads in place while maintaining proper flexibility in the bracelet. It would have been much easier to start with a consistent glass seed bead until I mastered the technique rather than starting with pearls which are not round, inconsistent in shape, and inconsistent in length. It is not perfect, but I am reasonably happy with it, and have been wearing it steadily since completion a couple of weeks ago.
Although I love wearing it, there are a few niggling tension problems. I should be able to resolve these with the next couple of versions, at which time I will probably take this one apart and remake it. Or perhaps I will just start from scratch. I have more of these pearls. If I do it again, there are several changes I would make to the overall construction of this bracelet.
First, I may well sort the pearls by color, as you can see on the photo of me wearing the pearls that there are substantial variations in the colors of the pearls. I don't necessarily want a uniform look, but I may want a little more control over the variations in color. This may mean that I need to use my "spare" pearls and dismantle the existing bracelet in order to get enough pearls in the desired color sequence.
I will also take time to sort the pearls more closely by length and shape, eliminating any particularly long, or particularly wide pearls, or in the case of the wide ones, attempting to work them into the general design of the piece. Since many of the pearls are narrower on one end and wider on the other, I will also take far more care with the orientation of each pearl as I place it on the bracelet, in the few areas I did this with my first bracelet, I am far happier with the way the bracelet lays than I am with the areas that are more random.
I think I will also copy Chan Luu's technique of adjustable loops on the end for closure. This bracelet was custom made for me, and I rather like the loop I made, but I do think there are possibilities with the staggered knot technique as well.
Last, but not least, I am still on the lookout for some fabulous round pearls; not necessarily white, although white would do. I have a tiny 14 inch strand of freshwater seed pearls with breathtaking luster. I don't know where I got them. If anyone knows of a good source for high quality seed pearls, please let me know.
Comments
22 responses to “Pearls and Leather”
What a great bracelet and your workmanship is wonderful! For supplies you might try http://www.riogrande.com. Ask for a catalog—I have spent many an hour dreaming over mine. My favorite inspiration source is http://www.onujewelry.com.
Martha R
What a great bracelet and your workmanship is wonderful! For supplies you might try http://www.riogrande.com. Ask for a catalog—I have spent many an hour dreaming over mine. My favorite inspiration source is http://www.onujewelry.com.
Martha R
Oh, Mardel, that is gorgeous! But then, I always love your taste in jewelry. I’ve been thinking of trying my hand at jewelry-making too but I can’t seem to get out of my sewing room. 🙂
Oh, Mardel, that is gorgeous! But then, I always love your taste in jewelry. I’ve been thinking of trying my hand at jewelry-making too but I can’t seem to get out of my sewing room. 🙂
This is lovely!
I like the irregularity – both of size and colour. I know you don’t want that home-made look; yours doesn’t look remotely like that – but it just avoids the mechanical perfection of mass production.
Clever technique too.
Ann
This is lovely!
I like the irregularity – both of size and colour. I know you don’t want that home-made look; yours doesn’t look remotely like that – but it just avoids the mechanical perfection of mass production.
Clever technique too.
Ann
Very interesting, Mardel. Making your own clothes and now even your own jewelry. I´m impressed. I simply don´t have the patience it needs. For me, it simply is easiest to have my clothes tailored, if they need that. I understand that this is all a hobby for you, so you have my blessing to try different methods and subjects : ) !
Very interesting, Mardel. Making your own clothes and now even your own jewelry. I´m impressed. I simply don´t have the patience it needs. For me, it simply is easiest to have my clothes tailored, if they need that. I understand that this is all a hobby for you, so you have my blessing to try different methods and subjects : ) !
just lovely,
for pearls try Fire Mountain Gems – or something like that, I’ll see if I can find the link. They put out a catalogue, and the professional dressmaker I worked with (who is Susan Khalje’s personal dressmaker) orders all her pearls and swarovski crystals from them.
just lovely,
for pearls try Fire Mountain Gems – or something like that, I’ll see if I can find the link. They put out a catalogue, and the professional dressmaker I worked with (who is Susan Khalje’s personal dressmaker) orders all her pearls and swarovski crystals from them.
AnnR, I rather like the irregularity too, and even if I redo
it I don’t want to lose that effect.
I suspect it is fine and I am just feeling a bit like a newbie and
wondering and wanting to do better and better. You are so right that I am trying to avoid the home-made
look and I find that so much beaded jewelry, at least that I see around me, has
that home-made or craft-fare look
that is not really me.
Metscan, Well, the sewing is a hobby for me, but I dont like
to make anything I wouldnt wear, which makes it difficult sometimes as I
am out of practice.
Frankly for clothes I buy, I prefer to have them tailored as
well, although I went through a period where I did the tailoring myself because
it offered me opportunities to see how high end ready to wear was made.
Now I only do it if I dont trust the quality of the person doing the
work, not unusual as fewer and fewer shops offer tailoring around here anymore.
I don’t know how much playing with jewelry I will do, but for now it is
interesting enough. I suspect it
will be limited. A lot of the
jewelry I want to wear isn’t beaded.
Marji, Ive
ordered from Fire Mountain Gems and have their catalog as well. I got the
Swarovski pearls for one of my sweaters from them and Ive used them for pearls
and beads for embellishing garmets as well. The pearls Ive gotten from
them are fine for embroidery, but I dont think they are quite what I am want
for use in jewelry. The pearls I
did use have a more of a glow about them than anything I have gotten from Fire
Mountain, but I will inquire about whether they have some better quality
pearls.
AnnR, I rather like the irregularity too, and even if I redo
it I don’t want to lose that effect.
I suspect it is fine and I am just feeling a bit like a newbie and
wondering and wanting to do better and better. You are so right that I am trying to avoid the home-made
look and I find that so much beaded jewelry, at least that I see around me, has
that home-made or craft-fare look
that is not really me.
Metscan, Well, the sewing is a hobby for me, but I dont like
to make anything I wouldnt wear, which makes it difficult sometimes as I
am out of practice.
Frankly for clothes I buy, I prefer to have them tailored as
well, although I went through a period where I did the tailoring myself because
it offered me opportunities to see how high end ready to wear was made.
Now I only do it if I dont trust the quality of the person doing the
work, not unusual as fewer and fewer shops offer tailoring around here anymore.
I don’t know how much playing with jewelry I will do, but for now it is
interesting enough. I suspect it
will be limited. A lot of the
jewelry I want to wear isn’t beaded.
Marji, Ive
ordered from Fire Mountain Gems and have their catalog as well. I got the
Swarovski pearls for one of my sweaters from them and Ive used them for pearls
and beads for embellishing garmets as well. The pearls Ive gotten from
them are fine for embroidery, but I dont think they are quite what I am want
for use in jewelry. The pearls I
did use have a more of a glow about them than anything I have gotten from Fire
Mountain, but I will inquire about whether they have some better quality
pearls.
Oh thank you Gigi! I wish I could get into my sewing room more. The advantage to this was I could sit elsewhere and keep my sweetie company. I suppose there is a time for everything in life.
Oh thank you Gigi! I wish I could get into my sewing room more. The advantage to this was I could sit elsewhere and keep my sweetie company. I suppose there is a time for everything in life.
Thank you Martha. Ive heard of Rio Grande but never used anything from there. Ive requested a catalog.
Thank you Martha. Ive heard of Rio Grande but never used anything from there. Ive requested a catalog.
Mardel, you might check out http://www.silverrosebeads.com.
Nice bracelet! Look forward to seeing your ongoing work. I took a pearl-knotting couse, it was harder than I thought! Have a definite preference for knots between most beads.
Mardel, you might check out http://www.silverrosebeads.com.
Nice bracelet! Look forward to seeing your ongoing work. I took a pearl-knotting couse, it was harder than I thought! Have a definite preference for knots between most beads.
Thank you, Duchesse, for the link. That is one tempting site. I prefer most beads to have knots between them as well and need to learn to do the knotting if I am going to actually make necklaces I will wear. I can get a private lesson in knotting at a bead store near me, but the proprietor dislikes knotted necklaces so I am not convinced I will take a lesson from her. I have found a few sources for good clasps as the majority of the bead-store clasps look cheap to me. Lots of practice ahead to find out if I want to do this though, so no need to stock up on supplies quite yet.
Thank you, Duchesse, for the link. That is one tempting site. I prefer most beads to have knots between them as well and need to learn to do the knotting if I am going to actually make necklaces I will wear. I can get a private lesson in knotting at a bead store near me, but the proprietor dislikes knotted necklaces so I am not convinced I will take a lesson from her. I have found a few sources for good clasps as the majority of the bead-store clasps look cheap to me. Lots of practice ahead to find out if I want to do this though, so no need to stock up on supplies quite yet.
I love the bracelet, beautiful job
I love the bracelet, beautiful job