Making a Pearl Neckpiece

This neckpiece is a twist on the traditional pearl necklace….it’s a collar which sits close to the neck but has a chain attachment so it can be lengthened somewhat. There can hardly be anything more flattering than beautiful pearls - so complimentary no matter what you are wearing, and lovely next to the skin. Pearls have a natural nacre, which means the sheen which subtly changes colour, sometimes pinkish, sometimes lilac or bluish. This neckpiece has a variety of different sorts of pearls - small freshwater pearls, potato pearls, Biwa and coin shaped pearls, all strung on Sterling Silver wire. These are interspersed with silver leaf shapes which tinkle lightly with movement. To say making a neckpiece like this is a bit of a palaver is an understatement ! It’s very time-consuming, from cutting out and filing the leaves, then soldering on tiny jump links….then polishing each by hand before putting them all into the sand polisher for hours. Then choosing the pearls - how many for each strand to make everything balanced ? Lastly stringing it all up and finishing off the ends. Phew ! Lovely to wear, though, so it’s worth it in the end !

Silver leaf shapes waiting to be put into the sand polisher

Big mess on the workbench - choosing which pearls to use

A selection of different pearls