The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1910-07-14
STRINC|NCPE
A Difficult Task That Calls For
Skill and Judgment.
CORDED ON SURGEONS SILK.

OF pearls through the breaking Of the
cord on which they were hung and
their slipping or and scattering over
the door or sidewalk. Those who
know anything about the stringing Of
pearls. however. always read these
tales With incredulity. because nova.
days. as general thing. only false
pearls or those OF small price are
strung without knot being tied be-
tween each of them. so that II the
cord breaks no more than one eau fall
Oh.
II is common belief that because of
their great value pearls are strung on
durable. like catgut or wire
As matter OF fact such material IL
never employed There Is no beauty
10 a string OF pearls that looks wiry
or stiff. 1t must be flexible to The
highest degree. otherwise aH its grace
fui effect will be lost. Up to the time
OF the Introduction OF surgeons silk
for pearl stringing nothing had l.,eD
found that would absolutely meet he
requirements of strength and tiexi
bility.
That the most valuable pearls are TO-
day strung on cords of surgeons silk
Is due to the suggestion OF . woman
employee OF New York jewelry
house.
Surgeons silk-the thread that IL
used for sewing up cuts and wounds
Is a soft, round strand Of pure white
silk which is woven. not twisted. The
weave, when viewed under a magni-
tying glass. closely resembles that Of
tine silk braid aud Is capable OF only
a small degree of expansion. This
thread Is produced in several diam.
eters or grades. which makes 1t all the
more desirable for pearl stringing
These are numbered instead of being
iettered like ordinary sewing silk and
are wound on small cards like dar,,inR
cotton.
When the young wOman's idea was
first adopted it seemed AZ though II
would prove tmpracticable owing TO
the quantity Of surgeons silk mann.
tactured being insufficient TO meet the
new demands from the jewelers. II
was also very expensive But the idea
| was such good one and the surgeon :
| silk was 50 much superior to anything
| ever tried before that in time II was
found possible to secure II In sufficient
quantities and ut wholesale prices
The principal safeguard against iOss
however. is In the nlethud Of string
ing An intricate system Of knOttinl
the thread bet tween each pearl IL EN-
pioyed This prevents the ESCAPE ol
more than one jewel should the threae
break. This knOtting is done Will
tweezers and is task that require:
great skill. There must be no unsisht
" gaps between the knots and th,
pearls. and the whole when tinishet
must be immaculate in Its whiteness
The tiny knots instead Ot defractin,
from the beauty of the necklace en-
hance It, for they look like seed pearl
alternating with the larger ones Knot
| Suh$S tCASsuVll0 tuC uN< 0iatSC OiSsS ou>
Is often resorted to for that purpose
When q strand Of certain length /
desired and the number Ut large In.;,ri
Is not sufficient Imitation pearls Ut th
exact size and color are often suhSt
tuted. Some of these limitations wi
deceive the eye OF any but the mos
expert.
II often happens that the Iarges
pearls nave the smallest holes drtlle
through them, for every grain that
taken from the pearl reduces II
weight. In such cases. however. I'll
risk ot the cord breaking Is increase
owing to the slenderness of the thre;,
and the sharp edges ot the pearls Gu
ting through 1t quickly
Stringing pearls Is never done wit
u needle. A needle Is not yieidin
enough to pass through very sma
: holes. and the doubling Of its dian,et'
at the eye makes its use impracticabi
Therefore the end Of the thread
sharpened 10 a very fine point. whie
Is waxed stiffly enough to lie used e
actIy as needle would be.
. Ordinarily pearl sirlnging is N
chanicaIly difficult and also reqnlr
taste and judgment. The pearls IN;
have to be rearranged IN order to II
prove their general appearance
$ the laying out OF collarets especial
: great deal Of skill is required
y the first place. the cOlIaret must
exactly. This seems comparative
easy. but 1t Is not. A pattern ts
. ways fitted beforehand. but IL Is raj
" the case that the result is satisfi
tory the 6rst time. Some necks
Quire straight collars aud Otlle
. slightly curved The same care Is <
: en- to the fitting OF cOilaret ss to I
Get OF an expensive gown. ana II u
to be tried on and changed and :
: justed as many times.
: Dividers are used to gauge the Ell
/. position In which the vertical diamn
: bars that support the strands OF pea
). should be placed. Endless care
= Judgment may be given to laying I
the pattern for one Of these baut'
and getting the measurements ali
a Mtely exact, but when II comes to
r. fitted there is sure to be ironi,le.
u may be too tight at the bottom
1e too loose at the top. or perhaps
,d ends may not even meet at aii.-'ch
il 1e,ls 4 Dayton IN Chicago Rex
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