The Tool My Knotted Pearl Bracelet Needed
Getting those final few pearls just right
The Pearl Reamer
I’ve been developing a new baby bracelet this month and wanted this one to be created a little more traditionally so more heirloom-like (I love vintage!). You know, something that feels as though it could get tucked away in a jewelry box for years and years and passed down.
So, I decided on a traditional knotted pearl baby bracelet, strung on silk cord and finished with gimp wire and a pretty sterling silver toggle clasp.
I already sell a pearl baby bracelet that does really well, but that one is strung on wire, unknotted and finished with a lobster clasp. This time I wanted to take the idea somewhere a little more timeless. I’ve noticed over the years that when parents and grandparents are choosing Christening jewelry, they seem to love anything that feels more traditional.
So, all was going swimmingly.
Until I reached the ends 😮
Because the silk cord needs to pass back through the final pearl bead to finish the bracelet neatly. The pearl holes just weren’t big enough for double silk.
So I bought this handy little tool to try on just the end pearls and thought it was worth mentioning here, particularly if you make pearl jewelry or fancy having a go at knotting pearls yourself. It’s very easy once you know how.
Well, this tool is called a pearl reamer, and it’s got one very specific job: to gently enlarge the existing hole in a pearl, only take a few minutes to get a bigger hole. It can also be used on other beads, including gemstones, stone and porcelain, so it’s quite useful to have in your jewelry toolbox.
I might actually do a little tutorial on how I knot pearls too. I use the tweezer method, which I’ve always found gives me much more control over exactly where my knots sit. Perhaps one for another day…
So the reamer…it come in different sizes, for this particular job I chose the very fine version and, as you can see below, they weren’t messing about with the name. It is VERY fine indeed.
With its tiny, sharp, drill-like end, it very delicately shaves away the inside of the pearl hole, making it just wide enough to pass the silk through twice. Perfect!
And because I’m only enlarging the holes on the end pearls, the rest of the pearls stay exactly as they are.
Pretty simple solution and a great little tool.
I love finding tiny tools like this that solve a very specific jewelry-making problem. I only needed to enlarge two pearl holes, but without it I couldn’t finish the bracelet the way I really wanted.
So, there you have it.
A slightly bigger hole, one finished bracelet and a pearl reamer now permanently living in my toolbox…yay!
Sometimes it’s the smallest thing that make all the difference! 🤗
If you’re wondering which little reamer I use, I have a Beadalon ‘very fine’ pearl reamer, which was just perfect for my tiny 6mm freshwater pearls.
Enjoy!
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