Golden Keshi Pearl Multi-Strand Necklace

Three Strands of Large, Golden, Cultured Keshi Pearls

This is three strands of heaven. It's striking. It's fun. It's edgy. And it's a necklace that creates an almost ruff-like effect on the neck, like a ruffled scarf neatly wrapped around the neck. Keshi pearls are chic and yet they are not very formal.

This very striking necklace creates an almost ruff effect on the neck. Keshi pearls are chic and yet they are not very formal. These are cultured, freshwater Keshi pearls in two tones. Two strands are a tawny colour and the third is a brilliant gold. The tawny coloured pearls, each individually, and naturally shaped, are 18mm. The golden pearls are almost a “Biwa” or stick shape, although still of a Keshi nature. These are much larger, at 36 mm.

These pearls are dyed in colour, but are quite natural in appearance.

Dyed pearls, which most pearls are, come about through a number of techniques. The one I know, through someone who has a pearl farm in China, is one in which the pearls are placed for a month or more in a container with a liquid saturated with a powder dye. Electrodes gently move the pearls about so that they are evenly coloured. Although people say the colour can fade, I have been working (and wearing) dyed pearls for many years. As long as you don't spray perfume or hairspray onto the pearls, the colour remains. None of my pearls have faded.

Keshi pearls are created by placing a minute piece of natural mother of pearl into a mussel and allowing it to grow to a certain size, as the mussel creates nacre around the irritating foreign element. After a period of time, the pearl is removed and place in. another host mussel, and as it grows, it creates this cornflake type shape. Because this process is quite labour intensive, it makes Keshi pearls more costly than the ordinary freshwater pearls.

The three strands feed into two vintage, handmade 18K gold on silver on hardened resin beads (14.7 mm) from Afghanistan. These beads are made in the traditional way, based on ancient techniques.

A vermeil toggle clasp has been used because toggle clasps are easy to use and secure. My silver name label is attached at the clasp.

The necklace comes, like all my necklaces, with its own colour co-ordinated silk brocaded pouch bag, made by a Shanghai tailor.

Length 45 cm (17 3/4").