Oyster slime and worm spit

Yep!  The pearls arrived.  So of course the first thing to do was trot them out and take a pic.  Two pics, in fact:

I had initially thought the first version looked better, but after seeing the photo, I realized that the “extra” pearls were distracting from the lace, rather than enhancing it.  So I removed most of the scattered pearls to produce the second photo, which I like a lot better.  In this case the pearls are only at the center of the large rose motif, drawing attention to the rose.  In either case the galloons are decorated heavily with pearls, and I think I like it that way.  We’ll see what it looks like on the dress, though – it may not be possible to use pearls so heavily and still have the lace stand delicately out from the fabric at the edge.

And these pearls, incidentally, are the real deal.  AAA, top-grade Akoya pearls, 4-4.5 mm.  A 16″ strand of those at an online “discount” jewelry shop will set you back a whopping $660!  Of course, I didn’t pay anywhere near that price – I ordered directly from a Chinese pearl farm and paid a mere 5% of the retail price (!), $33/strand.  (In my next life, I want to be a jeweler – $660 for a product that only costs $33 wholesale??)

Anyway, I bought two strands, which should be more than enough for the entire dress.  Oyster slime and worm spit!  There’s nothing as beautiful (or classic!) as pearls on silk.