Richard, The technique you describe where they put all the pearls on a string and then begin knotting is the Japanese technique.
For fine pearls with small consistant drill holes, I especially like
a method I saw being used by Japanese pearl stringers many years ago
at a trade show, where they were representing the Mikimoto company
display. Their method was one I’ve not seen well described elsewhere
since.
One selects a thread size that will fit properly through the holes
when doubled. You thread all the pearls on a single long length of
thread, using a fine bead needle (works better for this than the
twist wire ones, if the fit of the thread in the hole is snug). Then
tie the first half of the clasp on, and begin running the needle back
up the strand in the opposite direction, one pearl at a time. You
pull the thread through the bead, and tie a half hitch around the
original strand with the working (needle end) strand, and then
through the next bead. This is not a full overhand knot that would
stay tightly knotted without the beads. The half hitch works simply
because it’s trapped in place by the beads themselves. Even if the
thread breaks, the pearls stay in place, except perhaps for the two
right at the break. But the half hitch knot is smaller and neater
than the common full overhand knot, especially since you’re tying one
strand around the other, so the knot itself is only in one strand
rather than two. The beauty of this method is in two parts. First,
it’s really fast. Get good at looping that half hitch, and you’re
essentially working at the speed of sewing the pearls onto the first
strand, one after the other. Mere seconds per knot, at least for
those ladies. A whole strand in a few minutes. I never was that fast.
But still, I get about two of these knots tied in the time it takes
me to do one, or less, with the tri cord knotter and it’s method, or
a similar overhand knot with tweezers or an awl. The second thing I
like is that the knots are in only one strand, while the original
length of thread is an unbroken straight line. That is much
stronger, since a knot in a thread significantly lessens it’s
strength. With this method, the strand lays flat and straight every
time, with none of the slight kinking you can get if knots the other
way are even slightly too snug, or the thread larger in size. I
already mentioned the smaller neater looking knots. And since one
thread is not knotted but goes straight through the whole strand of
pearls, there’s much less stretch over time. And in the event you do
break the strand, usually only that single unknotted strand breaks,
while the strand with the half hitches, being very slightly longer
and looser (accounting for slight give in the knots if pulled, which
doesn’t happen unless the first strand breaks), then acts as a slight
shock absorber, and doesn’t actually break, making restringing
easier since you don’t then have to find all the loose pearls and
resort them in order, etc.
This method doesn’t do as well with larger or heavier beads on
heavier thread sizes, but on the typical smaller sized strands of
pearls such as typical salt water cultured pearls (such as sold at
that Mikimoto sales table where I saw this method), I recommend it to
you.
Peter