Pearl Stringing class?

Hi Listers,

I live near Toronto and spend a lot of time in Calgary. Does anyone
know of a pearl stringing class in either location that is running
this year? I have found places that have had them, but can’t find
one planned for the near future.

Susan

Susan,

I live near Toronto and spend a lot of time in Calgary. Does
anyone know of a pearl stringing class in either location that is
running this year? 

Had the same problem… couldn’t find a class! Everyone said it was
to easy to have a class…finally we just contacted a couple of
jewelers in the area, asked if they could string or restring…talked
to the person, offer to pay, went to see her with 'pearl, and
stringing materials in hand… we were finished in about 5/10
minutes…

give it a try…
Jimc

Classes are always fun, but you don’t really need one to learn how
to string and knot pearls. I learned from an article in the New
York Times, using a double strand of silk–can’t recall if it was
size F or FF. There are instructions on the Internet, but the ones
I’ve seen tell you to use a single strand of a thicker cord. It is
my impression that the knots are more compact when using a double
strand of thinner cord.

Some people use tweezers to slide the knot, although I think the
tips are a bit large for the purpose. A heavy safety pin will do in
a pinch, but is harder on the fingers than something with a handle
is better. I asked my dentist if he was throwing away any dental
tools, and he gave me a couple of stainless steel picks.

Janet

Susan,

Since I’m pretty far from Toronto, I didn’t think about responding
to your post until the response from Jimc yesterday. But…are you
talking about stringing or knotting?

You can teach yourself stringing technique from the pictures in the
Rio Grande catalog. Knotting is another thing altogether. I wasted
hours at a pearl knotting class, where the teacher’s technique was so
abstruse that only one of the 12 or so students could replicate it a
few days later (I checked, just to see if I was the lone moron).

If you want to learn to knot, I’d recommend getting a video. For
example: http://www.beadshop.com/BooksVideos-Videos-VID3.aspx

I’m not recommending this one in particular–I’ve never seen a video
for this technique. It’s just the first one that came up on Google.

Good luck!

Lisa Orlando
Aphrodite’s Ornaments
Elk, CA

PS: I wonder whether any Orchidians have used the Tri-Cord Knotter,
which is pricey (at least in the Rio catalog), but comes with a
video. I seem to remember a long-ago article in Bead & Button (when
it was a skinny little thing) by somebody who loved it.

If by “stringing” you mean “knotting”, I learned from a fairly
decent video that illustrates clasp and continuous knotting and
stringing, that is titled Pearl Stringing: Why Knot?

I was going to post the production company, distributors’ name,
etc., but googling the exact title (with the colon, and in quotes)
returned a few suppliers who advertise this video on-line.

It may not be the best way, but I achieved excellent results with a
little practice.

James in SoFl

Lisa,

I’ve used, and love, the Tricord knotter. I sell it (without the
video) on my web site and have one for my personal use. I was able
to figure it out with just the written instructions (included) in
not too long a time (about 1 hour of trial and error.) It makes
wonderfully uniform knots very close to the bead. You can get carried
away with how well it works and end up with sloppy knots, but if you
pay attention, they all come out beautifully. I can’t say enough good
about the tool. It makes knotted beadwork very fast and easy. You
will, however, get a sore thumb, if you do it all day long, from
pushing the device in the process.

Susan
Sun Country Gems
www.suncountrygems.com