The beads had previously been strung on cotton thread which was old and rotten and just fell apart when I started handling the beads. The string of beads had already broken and the lady had knotted the thread to save the beads, she also brought me a little grip seal bag with the beads that had escaped! These vintage Czech glass beads had collected a little bit of dirt and grime over the years, so the first thing I did was take a photo so I knew what the pattern was!, Then I cut all the beads off the thread and removed any bits of thread and fluff, then I put them in some warm water with some washing up liquid and left them to soak for a while, then I gently brushed each bead with a soft bristled toothbrush, to remove the grime. I rinsed the beads in clean, fresh, warm water and left them to dry on the radiator.
Once they were dry I re-threaded the beads on the 7 strand Beadalon flexible beading wire, securing the ends by squashing a crimp tube with chain nose pliers and re-using the original barrel clasp, as the customer had requested.
I really can't believe how much cleaner and whiter they are in the second photograph, they looked and felt amazing when the necklace was complete.
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