The stringing, repair and redesign of pearls are a deeply held passion for Renata Terjeki, one of the few remaining artists of her kind.

I follow this gal on Instagram and am often stunned by the natural pearl pieces she gets to restore & restring!

LONDON — Before her successful, if somewhat niche, career, the Hungarian-born pearl stringer Renata Terjeki was never a fan of pearls.

“I never wanted to string,” said Ms. Terjeki, 47, in a recent video interview from her small, windowless, lamp-lit workshop, tucked in the basement of the luxury antique jeweler Bentley & Skinner on London’s bustling Piccadilly.

Discretion “is an unspoken rule in the trade,” said Ms. Terjeki, who is often required to sign confidentiality agreements when working on high-end pieces. But clients she can name include the auction houses Bonhams and Sotheby’s, and the jewelry emporiums Moussaieff and Bentley & Skinner. Private clients have included a daughter of the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, (for whom she strung a prayer-bead-like gold and pearl necklace one Christmas), and European royalty.


In 2015, Ms. Terjeki, opened an Instagram account under the moniker @stringing_along. She wanted to correct the misconceptions around pearl stringing that she herself had harbored. Among the works on display there are woven pearl watch straps, black diamond loafer tassels, gemstone curtain ornaments and an antique Cartier bag covered in tiny pearls.

“She is one of a dwindling number of independent practitioners keeping alive this valuable skill,” said Emily Barber, director of jewelry at Bonhams UK — an auction house that has worked with Ms. Terjeki for 12 years. (“Renata is the doyenne of pearl stringers,” she said.)


Read more and see photos:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/04/fashion/jewelry-pearls-and-their-care.html