Garage Sale Pearls!

by Sonya
(Medford, Oregon)

I love hunting for treasures at garage sales and thrift stores, and was delighted to recently find a real pearl necklace for $5 at a garage sale near my home! I'm pretty sure they are real because they are all a bit different and fit the descriptions on this website and other sites. I'm not sure yet what type they are yet, though (freshwater, cultured, etc.) I had been wanting a short pearl necklace, and this one was just the right length! They look like a rather old strand and had been poorly re-strung with fishing line, so I decided it would be a fun project to try my hand at re-stringing the necklace.

I have a 3-month old baby, so I had to work my attempts at knotting the necklace in around naptimes and after she went to bed. After my first failed attempt (the string was too thin, needle too big, etc.) I thankfully found this website, and the next day at naptime I tried again. My knots were still not as close to the pearls as I wanted, but my technique was much improved. My third try (the photo) came out pretty good. Thankfully all the pearls are about the same size so I didn't have to worry about getting the order mixed up when I had to stop working between my baby's naps! I just used two little boxes to hold my work in progress.

I'm happy with the strand now, but I forgot about putting the clasp on first! I have enough of a tail on both ends that I think I can still add it on. Next time I'll have to remember that!

After I got my fingers to used to how to hold the beads and string it was actually quite fun! And I really enjoyed watching the necklace "grow" as I knotted. I'll enjoy getting to wear what I made, and look forward to trying it again!

Sonya