Did you know that the oldest pearl necklace known to date is said to be 4,000 years old?
Woah-Nelly!
Oh, and did you know that women used to wear pearl necklaces to bed with the belief that said pearls would keep bad dreams away?
OK, ok, I won't bore you with the rest of the weird (but awesome), pearl related fun facts I discovered while searching the internet.....Unless you have a pearl obsession like me, in which case, simply leave a comment below with the message: #pearlobsessed and your email address and I'll send you the rest of the weirdo facts I found :) Just for you!
Knotting Pearls is a beautiful technique that takes both patience and practice. While it might require extra effort in the beginning, it's an absolute cinch once you get the hang of it.
Can you imagine being able to make your own pearl necklace? #Classy
Well, I'm here to tell you that you can...and after today's tutorial you will!
Needles
First, we're going to tackle the subject of needles. These needles (the ones used for knotting pearls) are made out of a thin stainless steel wire. They're reeeeally thin because the pearls have a small hole and a normal needle wouldn't fit through it.
Pro Tip: We recommend using flexible needles to thread your pearls.
Using the correct cord will make all the difference in the world!
Normally, we would use regular Jewelry Wire when making a necklace. But using regular jewelry wire would be a HUGE mistake when it comes to knotting pearls. We recommend you use silk cord. It's a soft cord that's PERFECT for knotting.
Our BFF: The Beading Awl
This is the Beading Awl. Its the tool that we use to make the knotting process easier. It helps us to place the knot reaaallyyy close to the pearl. (Which is what we're going for)
Why do we go through the trouble of making a knot in between each pearl?
Besides the obvious aesthetic reason, it's important to do this because otherwise the pearls would rub against each other and they would loose their luster and brightness.
The Pearl Threading Process
- Insert the cord through the pearl and place it close to the knot.
- Make a loose knot with both cords.
- Before tightening the knot, we'll need the handy dandy: Beading Awl!
- Insert the Beading Awl tip through the loop and place the knot close to the pearl.
- Pull the cord until the knot is placed as close to the pearl as it can be.
- When it's close enough to the pearl, remove the Beading Awl and tighten the knot with your hands
