Step 2
Select your other beads with practicality in mind, taking into account how pearls differ from stone, glass, wood, plastic and other bead types. As organic substances covered by a delicate nacre, or iridescent layer, pearls are vulnerable to light, water and friction. Set adjacent to rough stones, pearls will get abraded over time. Knot the beading cord between the pearls and other stones to solve this problem.

Step 3
Select your beading or stringing wire in an equally practical spirit. Pearls are drilled with very fine holes. Use beading wire, silk cord or gold or sterling silver wire that is fine enough to fit the pearls’ drill holes, in addition to the drill holes of your other beads. Make sure that the drill holes are the right size for the beading wire when you design your pearl necklace.

Step 4
Explore contrast in designing the layout of your pearl necklace strand. Pearls stand out when paired with contrasting surface textures, such as those of gemstone beads, sterling silver beads and even bone beads. The delicate pastels, neutrals, and jewel tones of cultured freshwater pearls contrast well with glittering faceted Czech glass, Swarovsky crystals, or garnet, amethyst or other transparent and semi-transparent faceted semiprecious gemstones. Contrast in size and shape is also effective: use seed pearls in place of regular spacer beads, or fashion a small graduated array of stick pearls as an impromptu pendant in the center of your strand.

Step 5
Lay out the pearls and other beads on a beading board or towel to see how the design looks. Fasten a clasp–and choose a clasp that matches the design in both size and style–only after you’re sure the design will work in practice as well as in theory. Sometimes seeing the design of your beaded necklace laid out reveals design flaws.

Pearls

Natural pearls are rare, and so are quite expensive and sold by carat weight. Many of the natural pearls you see on today’s market are in fact vintage pearls, as modern jewelry is usually crafted from the more readily available cultured pearls. Cultured pearls are made by manually introducing a particle of grit to a suitable mollusc, and the shape and size of the pearl can be manipulated by what type of mollusc is used, what water it lives in and also how long the pearl is left before it is harvested. The longer a pearl is left, the harder and thicker the layers of nacre become, and so the larger the pearl generally the higher the quality and expense, and cultured pearls are sold by millimetres rather than karats.

Pearl Shapes
The traditional pearl used in jewelry is spherical in shape, and the rounder and more perfect the sphere the more expensive and desirable the pearl is. You can also get teardrop shaped pearls and baroque pearls, which are those that have an irregular shape, and although these are less expensive they are often very unique and can be very beautiful in their own right.

Bracelets are usually worn on occasions when she isn’t working with her hands. Even when not working, a bracelet’s proximity to the hands causes it to get bumped and banged, so it must be very durable. So your Gifted bracelet be last.