Crystal Restringing Project

It's kind of weird to get back to normal blog posts after what I wrote this weekend, so I'm going to ease into it by blogging about things that I've made for friends (and for myself?) before getting back to business.

My friend Fonda asked me to restring/lengthen three vintage necklaces that belong to her mother, and also to swap out the clasp for magnetic ones so her mom can fasten them herself. Now, I don't normally do this sort of work because I don't have a big stash of vintage beads and clasps and the right sort of stringing material, but she wasn't worried about authenticity, her mom just wanted to be able to wear her necklaces again.

Two of the three were easy-peasy, because they only needed a couple of inches added and I happened to actually have the right beads on hand. But this last one... Well, it's the only thing her mom has from her great-grandmother, and it had been broken and restrung with whatever beads they could salvage for years, until it had shrunk down to this tiny 12" necklace with a chunk of icky plastic beads in it. Those poor vintage crystals!

I kind of hate that I had to use modern beads on this, but I figured since I was already putting a modern magnetic clasp on it, I might as well go with something that I could easily get more of in case it ever needs more repairs. I added Czech firepolished beads in two sizes and and Chinese crystal rondelles, all in crystal AB to match the vintage beads. I feel like it still has that elegant vintage look, but now it's long enough for her to wear and easy to take on and off with the magnetic clasp.