Crystal Pearls Jewelry Making Tip
Posted by Eri
I love making jewelry with crystal beads. It seem like the possibilities are endless for all the different types of creations you can make.
If you have experience making beaded jewelry you already know there are all kinds of sizes, shapes, and colors of beads you can use to create a variety of different jewelry pieces.
But there is another type of crystal that I encourage you to give a try: the crystal pearl.
These beautiful beads are make by Swarovski®.
How do they make them?
They start with a crystal sphere and then cover it evenly layer by layer with an iridescent pearlescence coating that gives it a unique beautiful “glow.”
The crystal at the core of the pearl gives it an ideal weight, very much like real pearls.
You can take a look here to see the beautiful colors they make:
http://www.firemountaingems.com/swarovski_crystal_pearls.asp
They update the colors quite often so you should check back with them on occasion to see what’s new.
You can string these pearls by themselves to create a simple pearl necklace, or combine them with other beads to make very beautiful combination pieces.
There is one thing you need to be careful about when you use these.
When the coating is being applied during the manufacturing process, some of it will dry and remain in the holes of the beads.
If you try to string the pearls without first clearing out the excess coating in the hole, your string can get blocked.
There are a couple of easy ways to clean the holes of the pearls before you start stringing them.
In the video below, I show you how to do that.
How to Clean Swarovski Pearls using a Bead Reamer
September 24th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Good post. One thing I love about Swarovski pearls is the consistency. You don’t have to worry about crooked holes that can ruin your entire piece. The twisted pearls are my favorite to work with.