Can you make a 6-strand 8 mm. pearl collar, just like the one shown
in Honora’s advertisement? But, it must fits snugly, comfortably,
neatly high around the neck, and definitely do not slip down
That was the challenge placed before me two months ago by a friend,
who is a hostess for a live television show. She cannot rearrange
the collar or take it off when the one-hour show is on air, because
that would mess up her hairdo and the necklace could tangled with her
earphone wire.
I am pleased to announce that I have come up with a solution. All I
had to do was to move the terminals on the connectors (the loops
linking to the clasp and the shortner) 2 mm. below the centerline.
Voila! The collar fits perfectly every time. No dangling or
overlapping strands. The strands remain perfectly arranged even when
she is dancing.
After trying my collar on several more friends, I was amazed to find
out one size can fit neck sizes 12 to 14 inches. Better yet, it fits
high around the throat as well as low around the base of the neck.
The connectors actually sit the pearls strands along the curvature of
the neck, rather than strap them around the neck. Therefore, the
strands are always perfectly stacked, and the wearer can only feel
the weight of the necklace, but do not feel any pressure.
Sounds too good? I think so, and I decided to apply a patent for it,
because the minute change I made to the connector really made a big
difference how collars fits on the neck.
In order to field test my invention, I have decided to make the
patent free-to-use to artists who make each piece by hand, but not by
casting, stamping or other mass reproduction methods, until August
22, 2005. Since I do not have a home page, anyone wanting the basic
design and stringing method will have to e-mail me your address.
In addition, I hope to tap the vast experience out there in Orchid to
help me to commercialize my invention. I will mail a pair of the
connectors to anyone who sends suggestions to the following address:
I will also send a pair of connector to those writes to me about
their experience in wearing or making multiple strand collars.
All advice would be extremely welcome and gratefully received.
Simon
