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November 04, 2018

63-Inches Of Gorgeous: Creating A Custom Akoya Pearl Necklace

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Recently I received a thrilling custom design request from a long-time customer that I had to share! This very special creation is to be a present for his wife’s birthday (I wish my husband would come up with stuff like this, but such are the perils of working in the jewelry industry. Le Sigh!).

 
Once finished, we had a Triple-Strand Japanese Akoya pearl necklace measuring 20/21/22-inches – over 63-inches of gorgeous pearls in total! I used our finest AAA quality pearls with a shimmering Silver-Rose overtone, which is a favorite hybrid overtone of mine that is mostly Silver with hints of iridescent pink and sometimes violet – you can see the pearls we used here:
AAA Quality Japanese Akoya pearls
I needed a tad over 3.5 loose AAA Quality Japanese Akoya pearl hanks to create the necklace below, and the pearls needed to match perfectly. Thankfully, I had enough 8.5mm pearls in inventory to just make it!

 
Then we needed to choose the proper clasp. Most multi-strand clasps are made for pearls measuring 7.5 mm and under, so I needed a selection for him to choose from that would accommodate the larger pearls so they wouldn’t rub against each other and also had a gorgeous, glamorous appeal. Below were some of my favorites that I presented to him.

Clasp #1 14K White Gold Diamond Triple Strand Clasp with Deco Flower
Vintage Diamond Floral Clasp – I adore the star-shaped flower in the middle, it reminds me of jasmine… 

Clasp #2 14K White Gold Scalloped Diamond Triple Strand Clasp with Jasmine Flower
Vintage Floral Clasp, with a scalloped oval shape. The jasmin star-flower shape in the center is repeated here, which I love. 

Clasp #3 14K White Gold Diamond Rectangular Triple Strand Clasp
Art Deco Design Diamond Clasp. This one was really unique looking, definitely channeling that 1920s Deco-vibe.

Clasp #4 14K White Gold Diamond Triple Strand Clasp with Elaborate Deco Flower
Art Deco Rectangular Diamond Clasp – at this point it should be fairly obvious that I’m a sucker for the Deco period! ;) 


Once he chose his favorite (it was clasp # 2, the Oval Vintage Floral Clasp!), we were ready to get busy stringing! Knotting all the pearls took just a few hours once we were ready – it happened so fast, that I didn’t get a chance to take any “in-situ” pictures unfortunately. But once the pearls were finished, I was able to get my pictures in! Check out the amazing necklace!
Akoya Triple Strand 8

Akoya Triple Strand on Bust
The Triple Strand Japanese Akoya Pearl Necklace – truly there is something to be said for a traditional pearl necklace like this!!


There’s just something timeless and absolutely elegant about a classic Japanese Akoya pearl necklace, don’t you think?
 
I sent the necklace off just in time for his wife’s birthday, and received an email from him:  

“I presented the necklace to my wife on her birthday (Monday, Aug. 25).  She absolutely LOVED everything about it.  She especially loved the luster and how the necklace draped perfectly on her chest, with each strand perfectly “cascaded”.  And she loved the box.  Thank you for creating such a beautiful piece of jewelry.” -CM
 
I made sure to pick up an elegant wooden jewelry box for that last ‘finishing touch’ for a gorgeous presentation – it’s the little things that can make all the difference I think!  

The small note above is one of my absolute favorite things about working in the jewelry industry: creating a treasure that will be loved forever and maybe even passed on throughout the years from one generation to the next, it just gets my heart going pitty-pat a little bit faster and a little bit happier. 

If you’re interested in creating a custom designed necklace, or just want some premium Akoya pearls feel free to leave me a comment below, or email me at: Ashley@purepearls.com!

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!



~Ashley

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