Pearls! Pearls!! Pearls!!! 2014 Blog Hop Reveal!

Welcome to the 2014 

Pearls! Pearls!! Pearls!!! 

Blog Hop Reveal!

Are you ready to see some gorgeous pearls today?  I know I am!

The guidelines for the Pearls! Pearls!! Pearls!!! Blog Hop were quite simple.

"Show Us Your Pearls!" 

Yes, that's about it. It didn't have to be jewelry or bead related. Anything you wanted to design and create with pearls was fine - and welcomed!

Feel free to show off your pearls along with us. Just use the InLinkz Link Up tool at the bottom.

If you'd like to have the InLinkz code so you can have the link up tool on your blog today too, just clink here and you'll go to the page that has the link to the code.

With everything going on this month, it was challenging, but I did managed to create a couple of designs. 


First up, I got to play with some solid gold!

Oh YES! It was heaven!

And it isn't just any piece of gold either.

It's an 18k yellow gold original cross that my hubby, Mike, and our friend, Steve, created and cast earlier this month.

It measures a whopping 1.75 (almost) inches long and has some heft to it - but not too much!

I had no idea what or how I wanted to use this cross - especially since I don't wear gold - so this was a challenge.

I knew it deserved the 'good pearls' in my inventory.
And something that would make it 'pop'. 

The really nice freshwater cultured drop pearl that dangles on it is approximately 13mm in size - rather large.

The pearls in this necklace are freshwater cultured pearls from Majestic Pearl.

I wanted to make the cross charm something that could be taken on/off easily so the pearls could be worn on their own and so the cross could be worn on other necklaces, too.

I'd seen several versions of this sort of 'bail' over on Pinterest lately, so I thought I'd try creating my own version and it worked out quite well.

Did you know there is a difference between a 'bail' and a 'pearl enhancer'?  

You can read a nice article from my online friend Calla Gold about the difference here.
 

This necklace reminds me of Old World Kings and Queens and a time when, despite the rugged materials the craftsmen had to work with, pieces were elegant, opulent and exquisite.

It was extremely fun playing with 'the good china', as I call it!

From the pearls, the handcrafted clasp, to the cross - this one's a keeper! 

Except Mike keeps telling me he's taking the cross and melting it down and making something else with his gold.

Umm,...no. I think it's perfect the way it is. 

And then there's this fun little guy. 

Better known as 'Donald Trunk'.

My hubby found some old molds at a jewelry supply store in town here and he poured me this pewter elephant using one of them. 

Mike calls him "Donald Trunk" because he's got this 'blob' of pewter on the top of his head,...see that??  

It's like a wild pewter 'comb-over' or toupee.  Yep. LOL!!

 The pearls in this necklace are also freshwater cultured pearls.
The dark ones have been dyed to get this awesome deep color and they come from Majestic Pearl as well.

They represent the deep colors of the elephant, both his skin and his eyes.

The really fun 'waffle' pearls (that's what I call them - it's neither a correct nor industry used term!) are keshi pearls that I picked up several years ago from Ayala's Originals at the gem show down in Tucson. 

They represent the rough skin of the elephant and his wonderful 'wavy' ears and the color of his tusks.

Both necklaces were hand knotted on C-Lon cord that I purchased from the BeadShop.com. 

I like using C-Lon (and Superlon, too) on many of my designs because it doesn't stretch as much or absorb body oils, lotions and perfumes as quickly as 100% silk does. Which makes caring for it a bit easier than designs created with silk. And to me, it drapes/hangs much like silk, which I like.

 When we did the Pearls Blog Hop last fall, many of you said you liked all the links I provided to various educational sites about pearls and many of the video tutorials and things of this nature, so here's the link to

the 1st Pearls! Pearls!! Pearls!!! Blog Hop 

with all the links for anyone who wants to see them and revisit any of the goodies that were included in last fall's reveal post.

Also, here's the link to my Pearls page here on the blog where you'll find lots of pearl information, video tutorials on pearl knotting (not mine, but a lot of other people's tutorials) and other links such as jewelry, tool and pearl suppliers as well, so be sure to check it out.

I do want to share with you a really good video of how to knot pearls with out the use of tools, such as awls, tweezers or knotting tools or boards.  

This is a great method when you're stringing a simple strand of pearls - they come out beautifully!

This video is compliments of the wonderful folks over at Pearl Paradise.  Pearl Paradise owner Jeremy Shepherd and his wife, Hisano are a wealth of wonderful information and the designs that Hisano and the crew over at Pearl Paradise put together are just AMAZING!!  

Make sure to check out the latest post over on their blog, here.  And, of course, have fun drooling over all the beautiful pearls they offer for sale - wow!

And yes, the pearls in the below video are real, Saltwater Cultured South Sea Pearls,...Honkin' Huge!!

Now it's time to check out what all the other participants below have created with their pearls! 

Thanks to everyone who is jumping in today and sharing your pearls - I can't wait to see what everyone has created! 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and All Things Made With PEARLS!!

Cheers,

~Shel~

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