Charmed Bracelets

A New Skill: Restringing Pearls

A couple of months ago, a reader asked if I could restring some pearls for her.

She had three strands that I believe belonged to her mother-in-law, and she wanted a necklace made using all three strands. 

Now, I've never restrung pearls before--but when did that ever stop me? 

It did, however, take me an embarrassingly long time to actually GET to the project, because it was something new, and I had to have the right kind of energy to tackle it. And I did my research, both online and at two different bead stores, to find out the best techniques and tools for restringing these beautiful pearls.

But now that I am in the middle of this project, I am really enjoying it. It's one of those things that you can't rush, just slow and steady and pay attention to where everything is--coordination is key, in other words. It's a kind of meditation. 

As I work, I'm remembering reading about a woman in one of Colette's short stories--in Paris, of course--who made her living restringing pearls. I'm thinking I could never do this fast enough to make a living at it. 

One other interesting bit of information I found online: If you have real pearls and you wear them regularly, you are "supposed to" have them restrung every three months or so!  

The Basic Technique

There are a number of ways to string pearls, but the main point is to have a knot--a nice, neat knot--between the pearls so that they don't rub on each other. You use silk thread, and the thinnest possible needle. The one I have is made of twisted wire and came attached to the thread, which makes life much easier, because there is no stopping in the middle of the strand--the whole strand has to be strung with one length of silk thread. 

So, I clipped the existing knots on one strand of the pearls, and then strung them all on one length of the new silk thread. Then, you go back through each pearl with the needle, and tie a knot after each pearl as you backtrack. I'm about halfway through the first of three strands, and so far so good. My knots are nice and neat and the pearls are evenly spaced. 

I feel like a Colette heroine, in my attic, stringing pearls!

@ Jeanne Sather 2010.

My New Postcards

 The new postcards for my jewelry business landed on the front porch the other day, and I'm thrilled with how well they look. 

Monica, one of my closest friends, shot the photo. She shoots most of the photos for this blog and has  a wonderful talent for making my pieces look good. That's important when most of my customers don't get to handle or try on my jewelry before buying it.

  Laurie, another close friend, took the image and put the postcards together in Photoshop and ordered them from the printer. 

That's a task I could do, but it would stress my abilities a bit (I'd have to learn something new, which is hard sometimes when you don't have a lot of bandwidth), and it is so nice to have a competent friend take over the job. 

Now I have postcards to promote my jewelry in a low-key sort of way, which is all I'm comfortable with. I always include a few postcards when I mail a jewelry purchase. I leave them around town at restaurants and coffee places where I hang out. My friends have stacks of them as well. 

The previous batch of postcards featured a photo of a turquoise bracelet with a vintage sterling charm. It was a great image, but after that bracelet sold I wanted to use something else. (This is the older postcard: Sterling and Turquoise Bracelet . I still have a few and am happy to send you some with your order. Just ask.)

I am determined to start a new fashion with my jewelry made with vintage bakelite buttons. Each piece is unique, each piece has the charm of an object that has been used and lived with for decades--what the Japanese call wabi sabi--and there is a quirkiness about taking such a mundane, everyday object, a button, and making jewelry with it. Or so I think. 

See: 

Bakelite

Vintage Jewelry: My Collection

Photo: Monica Strasen. 

@ Jeanne Sather 2010. 

Cleaning & Polishing Bakelite

 The task of cleaning and polishing bakelite can be a tedious chore or a calming meditation, depending on your mood. 

So choose your time for this task carefully. 

Authentic bakelite buttons and jewelry are anywhere from 70 to 100 years old, so it's likely that they've picked up some grime along the way. The best product for cleaning bakelite is Simichrome, a brand-name cleaner originally made to clean the chrome on automobiles.

I spent an hour this afternoon cleaning a dozen round bakelite beads and buttons. I used Q-tips, paper towels, and toothpicks, along with the Simichrome, which comes in paste form. The job requires patience when the buttons are small or when they have a lot of carving. You don't want to leave residue in the carvings, and that's where a toothpick or a soft toothbrush comes in handy.  

Simichrome is also used to test bakelite to confirm that it is indeed genuine bakelite, but you shouldn't rely on this test alone. More on testing bakelite some other time. 

See also: Bakelite

@ Jeanne Sather 2010.  

Necklace Lengths

 We all know that necklaces come in various lengths, but do you know what all the lengths are CALLED?

I didn't, until I read an article in a recent issue of Bead and Button magazine. Here are the standard lengths, according to the magazine: 

Choker--13 to 16 inches

Princess--17 to 19 inches

Matinee--20 to 24 inches

Opera--28 to 32 inches

Lariat or rope--more than 40 inches

Most of the necklaces I make are either very long--60 inches--or have two strands, one choker length and the other a few inches longer. I guess the second strand would be "matinee" length, but I'll have to measure one of my finished necklaces to be sure. I just make it a length that looks right.

All of my necklaces, except for the 60-inch ones, have a 2- to 3-inch extender chain to give a perfect fit for most women.

See more: Necklaces   

Welcome to Charmed Bracelets: How to Use This Site

I've been making jewelry professionally for a little over a year, and I sell my jewelry through this Web site. 

It all started with the "Lost Earring Charm Bracelet," and I still make these occasionally by special order. 

See: Lost Earring Charm Bracelets  

Then, I moved on to designing bracelets that show off one or two special, vintage charms. Here are a couple of examples: 

A Steer With Personality

Jade and Japanese Charms

I know several charm dealers who seem to have a knack for finding the most appealing vintage charms, and I check in with them regularly. I also have a supply of charms, not all of which are on the Web site, so e-mail me if you are looking for something special and don't see it here. 

Once I started making bracelets, it wasn't long before I was making necklaces as well. Because not everyone wears bracelets. And, of course, earrings followed. 

You can find what you're looking for in various ways. 

By type of jewelry: 

Bracelets

Necklaces

Earrings

When you go to any of the three categories above, you will only see pieces of jewelry that are for sale. 

If you search by the gemstone or other similar category, you will see both pieces that are for sale and ones that are already sold. For example: 

Amethyst

Jade

The Gallery section lists many of the pieces that I've sold to date. 

All my necklaces and bracelets are one-of-a-kind, but if you see something you like in the Gallery, e-mail me to see if I can make you something similar. See: 

Gallery

Since I started making jewelry, I also started collecting vintage jewelry, and I'm adding a category to show my collection. 

Here's that category, with one post for now: Vintage Jewelry: My Collection  

 And, finally, I want you to be happy with any jewelry you buy from me. That's why I have a "no-fault repair and adjustment policy." If a piece of jewelry you bought from me needs to be adjusted or repaired, regardless of how it was damaged, just let me know and I will fix it for free. 

See: Repairs and Adjustments

Need information on caring for your new jewelry? 

See: Polishing Sterling SIlver Jewelry

@ Jeanne Sather 2009. 

Polishing Sterling Silver Jewelry

The sterling silver components and wire that I use in my jewelry will tarnish, and--unless you want that dark patina--you will want to polish your jewelry at some point. 

I use a polishing cloth to polish vintage sterling silver charms, because I want to keep some of the patina that comes with age, and I suggest you do the same. 

When I'm making a piece of jewelry, I dip the sterling silver chain, wire, and other components in a product called Empire's Instant Tarnish Remover to make them bright and shiny. I use this same product to polish finished jewelry IF--and this is very important--the beads or gemstones used in the piece are not porous. 

Garnets, onyx, and jade, for example, can be dipped without harm. 

Other materials, especially amber, coral, pearl, and shell should never be dipped--you will ruin them. Don't dip bakelite either. 

Polish the silver parts of a piece of jewelry that has porous elements with a polishing cloth. Or, if you have the patience, you can very carefully clean only the silver parts with tarnish remover on a Q-tip. 

Please e-mail me if you have any questions about caring for your jewelry: jeanne.sather@gmail.com

@ Jeanne Sather 2009.

 

Repairs and Adjustments

Jewelry--especially bracelets--has to survive a fair number of bumps and bangs. Earrings can snag in your hair, and necklaces get hung up on all sorts of things.  

With this in mind, I try to make my pieces as sturdy as possible, but sometimes a piece will break with use or even come apart in the mail (This has only happened once, so far). 

And sometimes--again, especially with bracelets--the length isn't quite right. I've had one or two women send bracelets back for adjustments in length, and that's fine. 

My 'No-Fault' Repair and Adjustment Policy

If a piece of jewelry you've bought from Charmed Bracelets needs to be repaired, regardless of how it was damaged, just e-mail me to let me know and then mail the piece back to me. I will repair it without charge. Please do send jewelry insured, just in case the Post Office loses it. (This hasn't happened yet, knock wood.)

In the same way, if you've bought a piece of jewelry and the length isn't quite right, e-mail me and explain what needs to be done, and then mail the piece back to me. I cheerfully make adjustments. 

This business is very personal to me, and I want the women who wear my jewelry to be happy with it, so please let me know of any problems. 

--Jeanne