Shopping for keshi pearlsSupplies for the January issue's "Ombre impression"
by Kelsey Lawler
Published: December 2, 2011 For the January issue's "Ombre impression" on page 36, I bought beads
from the 2011 Bead&Button Show. Unfortunately, it's tough to find
these exact top-drilled keshi pearls, in these specific colors, in one
place — so I've done some shopping around for you. Happy beading,
everyone!
Red/garnet keshi pearls:
-- Rings&Things
-- A Grain of Sand (they're "deep purple" but would serve as a great substitute for red)
Medium pink/raspberry keshi pearls:
-- Pearlcrown.com
-- ABeadStore.com (fuchsia pearls that are good for a purple-toned version of this necklace)
Light pink keshi pearls:
-- Rings&Things
-- Rings&Things (a rosy shade)
-- Coopersbeads.com (a peachy shade)
Other ombre options:
-- Blister pearls in dark, medium, and light.
-- Stick pearls in dark, medium, and light.
Something to remember when searching for these pearls: Google is your friend, but use the right terms.
Play around with the language until you find what you're looking for
and be specific. Include the shape and color of the pearls — and get
creative.
Shape: I searched "keshi" and "cornflake" for these pearls, and
broadened my search to include other irregular pearls like "blister" and
"stick" or "biwa" — the important thing for this project is finding
beads that are top-drilled.
Color: For the darkest strand, I searched "red," "garnet," and
"cranberry." For the middle strand, I tried "pink," "medium pink,"
"raspberry," and "fuchsia." For the lightest strand, I searched "pink,"
"light pink," and "rose."
And don't forget: you're looking for pearls that are 12–16 mm on a strand that is (roughly) 17-in. (43 cm) in length. If you find shorter strands, intersperse more spacers in your necklace. In the end, the ombre effect is a fun and easy one to accomplish and can
be done in any color palette — pick your favorite color pearls and run
with it! |
|