Some assembly required - happy birthday, Cecily!

My friend Karen, a jewelry artist, taught me how to knot pearls many years ago. And re-taught me every time I forgot how to do it - very patient lady she is. Most of those who bead with me know that I don't have a comfortable sense of color and form. So I solved that problem - I just knotted a whole bunch of pearl strands, put end tips on them and sent them to Cecily to make her own darned pearl necklace! Cecily and Karen are artists, I just like to make things. So - the 'some assembly required' pearl necklace was born.

With any luck, Cecily will send me a picture of herself, wearing what she has created! (Hint, hint, Cecily!)

First.....you knot up a whole mess of pearl strands That is kind of like frying up a whole mess of mushrooms or catching a mess of fish. 'Mess' is a unit of measurement here in Southern Indiana!


Then you try to make it easy for someone to assemble several of these strands into a necklace. So the pre-made clasp and end tips are born:

You have had the foresight to use bead-tips that can be easily bent around the finding and you purchase little tiny chain nose pliers to go in the package. I can't imagine someone not having chain nose pliers but one never knows.

You put it all in a box and ship it off.....Cecily got her box today and we 'met' on Skype while she opened it and the assembly process was explained! Ta-Da!
Karen taught me to knot pearls as she does - using the simplest of tools:

Just a tweezers, pearl silk cord that has been stretched for 24 hours, and pearls. That's all there is to it. Unfortunately, if you make a mistake it can't be 'undone'. You have to cut the whole strand apart, stretch more silk, and start again. Knotting is very tedious but sure does require attention - it is almost like meditation.
There you have it - Cecily's birthday present is my poor attempt to mimic one of Karen's beautiful necklaces. My idea is that quantity might beat quality! If anyone can make it work, Cecily can.
In case you are interested, Karen is the 'real deal' artist. She does her own designing, cuts her own stones, and does her own gold work. If I can get her permission I can post some pictures of her booth and work some day!
Meanwhile, I can't wait to see what Cec comes up with!