Another Pearl Necklace

Today I thought I would share with you a necklace I made shortly before I left for our recent weekend in the Lakes. I up-cycled a cultured freshwater pearl necklace I bought a year or so ago in Covent Garden, London.  They are monster white ring potato pearls and were originally strung simply with a lobster claw clasp.  They weren`t expensive but I thought I could do something better with them so I used the same technique as I used here when I made the necklace for my friend Lisa.  It uses sterling silver wire, which is soft and flexible and strong which you wire wrap around the pearls to create a link.

Silver Bali daisy beads and round beads are used in the link also. It`s a little tricky to begin with and I wouldn`t recommend doing it for the first time using a precious metal (as I did) as mistakes are made but it doesn`t take long to master and the effect is lovely. I really want to learn how to string pearls knotted on silk and so I think I`m going to have a go at that soon as I love pearls very very much.

On the home front, I`m cracking on with my hand quilting of Z`s quilt and also working on Deborah`s quilt...photos soon! After a difficult last few days, things are peaceful now.  I like peaceful.  Peaceful is good.

Marrakech Monday

I decided today to blog each Monday about my life here in Marrakech.  It may simply be a photo and may sometimes be Morocco Monday if I`m out of town.

This morning, I had coffee (and some delicious almond cake)....

The salon at Dar Charkia

with my dear friend Lisa, who together with her lovely husband Michael are fellow riad owners.  They run Dar Charkia as a maison d`hote - a bed and breakfast - in the medina here in Marrakech.

Looking into the courtyard at Dar Charkia

We drank coffee, chewed the fat and I delivered the necklace that I finished making yesterday.

Detail of sterling silver granular Bali bead and CFW pearl Y necklace

Sterling silver Bali dangles and pearl detail

Biwa pearl and Bali daisy bead detail

Lisa commissioned me to make this necklace absolutely ages ago after seeing it in the fabulous book, Simply Pearls by Nancy Alden, which you can purchase here. It`s full to bursting with gorgeous designs which make pearls not only stylish but funky and modern too.  I have always loved pearls and if I was to concentrate on making jewelery, it would be to combine pearls with sterling silver and semi-precious stones.

The granular Bali beads and biwa pearls really make this look designer and I absolutely love it. Here is the finished product, hanging from a tadelakt egg in Dar Charkia`s salon.

Thanks to Lisa, I can now wire wrap - the process of using sterling silver wire (or any other metal)  to join beads by wrapping the wire around itself!  What`s next Lisa?