The river press., 1914-11-11
STR|NC|NC PEARLS
Only the Choicest Silk Is Used
For the Best Jewels.
TYING KNOTS AS A FINE ART.

The Perfect Hang Of the Necklace Do
ponds Upon How These Tiny Twist
Are Formed, and Il May Take
Year to Master the knack.
The pearl stringers themselves cal
it "trade." They are not the kind o
people to talk about art. If they Sc,
anything Of their work beyond tn,
prosaic fact that "stringing" is a goot
employment it is only an indirec
and somewhat vague appreciation O
the delicate attraction Of the pearl,
they handle.
Although not processing to be exper
judges. I have never met a pear
stringer yet whose eye and taste
were not trained to a fine perception
of the form and color of the beamy
fridescent luster of the jewel Of the
shellfish. 1t would be as impossible
for them to mistake an artificial pear
for real one as it would be for q
lapidary to begin to polish a piece OF
glass under the impression it was a
diamond.
1t is often said that the little known
industry Of pearl stringing is dying
out, but this is not the fact. No ma.
chinery is yet invented to supersede
the ten clever fingers Of the practiced
stringer. The industry is exclusive.
too, and a business has often been
passed on from mother to daughter.
even from grandmother to grandchild.
Drilling and mounting of pearls is
quite different branch of the indus
try.
Good light is one of the essential
needs of the pearl stringer, especially
when she is employed in making or re-
pairing seed pearl ornaments. All the
beads have to be arranged according
to their size and then separately and
most carefully sewed into place on
their dainty framework. For instance,
If the design Is that Of flower or leaf
the skill lies in graduating from the
biggest pearl to the one that touches
the extreme point Some of these or.
naments. by the way, are very old. for
II they are carefully handled there is
no reason why they should not be
joy. IL not forever, ut all events for as
long as the handsome. antique pen.
dants and pearl studded medals of the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
that one still admires in the British
museum.
Only the finest silk is used for string
ing the finest pearls Great beads,
round and shiny, Enthusiastically artit-
cial and with no more real luster than
white marbles-with the exception of
what are called Roman pearls. manu-
factured many years ago-may be al
lowed to hang together on catgut, but
orients must be threaded. pearl kiss
ing pearl, on silken strands worthy of
their shape and "skin"
Now the art OF the Stringer lies in
the apparently simple manner of tying
the knot that attaches the snap Some
times also she has to make knot
between bead and bead. a method that
adds to the length of the necklace. but
detracts from the beauty of the line of
pearls. The knark of maxim. this tiny
knot will perhaps take Il girl IL year to
the perfect hang of the beads.
neither to" loose nor too tight. depends |
on how it is made.
There is no needle tine enough for
threading small seed pearls, so the
strlnger makes her own out of a piece
Df wire as thin us Il hair. She ARA nges |
her pearls. if they are of different |
sizes, on a grooved board covered with |
billiard table cloth. any other material, |
such as green baize. being much too |
coarse. When she is making u tassel |
'r loops. 1t Is pretty to watch her hold !!
Ter work ut arms length every few
minutes, measuring its size and effect !
with her we'll trained eye.
1t is hardly necessary to speak of the
strict integrity and unfailing care re.
luired In pearl stringer She is in
rusted with great possessions. for the
'alue OF pearls is continually on the in.
'rease. There are some ladies who
lever trust their treasures out Of their
'wn houses. but arrange. through a
eweler. for pearl stringer to call so
Ai"As a ) Cdl " lCpulI OEuuuleuCS
n restring necklaces.
The work Of the pearl stringer is so
little known. so quiet and dainty. that
is doubtful if one in Il thousand
women who stop to admire and covet
IS they pass show windows ever gives
thought to the patient fingers that
AVE threaded the beautiful beads and
in1 n,
hat link them to their diamond clasps.
The little band Of stringers are very
lmple. but businesslike people in their
tumble wOrkrooms-devotees Of beau.
Y. although they are unconscious of
he fact, and true artists in the per-
ection of their work.-I.ondon Chron.
Gle.