Now we get to the trickiest and most nerve wracking part of the process: DRILLING.

The pearls are held in place using two clamps (not too tightly! We wouldn't want to dent or scratch the nacre!) with the marked areas of the pearl oriented towards the slim drill bit. When we're ready we get that drill revving up at a high revolution, spinning fast enough to pierce the tough outer nacre layers of the pearl. 

The process must be done gently, without forcing the drill bit into the pearl too quickly or too hard. Going too quickly, or using too much force in a hard spot can cause the pearl to overheat and even crack! 

Thankfully, I was able to drill all the pearls of this layout without causing any damage to my beauties.

Practice makes perfect! ;)

As I drill each pearl, I replace it in the layout exactly where I found it so I don't have to re-sort the pearls.

Next the pearls have to be cleaned. Not only are the pearls coated with nacre/pearl dust from the drilling process, but those pesky marks from the Sharpie have GOT to come off. Thankfully, the marker is easy to remove with a Q-Tip soaked in nail polish remover.

Lastly I use a flexible, thin stringing needle to put the pearls on a temporary hank so they're all in the correct order when the stringer gets to do her amazing job. I tied some sturdy knots into the ends so the pearls don't slip off and get lost.

Voila! The new Tahitian Pearl Necklace temp hank is done!

XO,

Ashley M.

REGENCY

Our new Kiara Collection Diamond Earrings gets an exotic, colorful twist paired with our romantic black Tahitian saltwater pearls. The sparkling diamonds add a gorgeous amount of sparkle, and each pair of Tahitian pearls is hand-selected and matched to perfection!

Mounted on your choice of 14K White or Yellow Gold, our AAA/AAAA Quality Black Tahitian pearls feature sharp, highly reflective luster and smooth, unblemished surfaces, shimmering with colorful overtones like Peacock, Green, Aquamarine and Silver.

Earrings features 0.32ct diamonds, round-brilliant cut, S1-GH Quality diamond accents.

Each Tahitian pearl is as unique as its owner, so expect to see variations in color and overtone from the pearls pictured. Each pair of pearls arrives in our Signature Little Black Gift Box with a Certificate of Authenticity.