Welcome to the lariats page! The lariat is one of the simplest (and most successful) items I make. This is design reduced to the bare minimum, where the clasp and ornament are one. The chain goes behind the neck, the pearl slips through the ring in front and dangles freely. They've been a hit among just about all my customers. These lariats sell to the widest age range of anything I make. This item is now being worn by teens and twenty-somethings to women in their 60's and beyond! Their success caught me quite by surprise and I continually sell out of these at my shows.

I sold the first of these at my holiday sale in 2001, and it failed miserably. I made the ring much larger and heavier than the pearl, as a design element, but it kept slipping off. Based on the feedback from that first client, and from others since, I've refined and corrected the design as far as I'm able. The ring is now made much lighter than the pearl and to fit the pearl very closely. What I've learned along the way also is that I need to teach my clients how to wear them, since they're very different from other pendants.

 

Where to buy

I make these lariats with different colors of Chinese freshwater or Tahitian pearls. The colors of freshwater pearls I use are white and pink/lavender which are natural color. I also use the black or "peacock" freshwater pearls, which are color enhanced. The colors of these "peacock" pearls which I like to buy usually range from purplish-black to a metallic golden-black. Each one is pretty unique. The Tahitian pearls that I use with a gold chain are all natural color and generally have a greenish-gray tone. All of these pearls are cultured, or farmed commercially.

After making the difficult decision of what color of pearl you want, the next consideration should be the length of your lariat. Due to the way the lariat functions, using gravity to keep it together, it is important to get the correct length for your body style. I make these lariats in two lengths: 18 and 20 inches long. The pearl must hang below the ring at least three inches, as illustrated above and at left. For women of petite or average build, the 18" length is fine. Larger women will find the 20" length suits them better. Of course, you can always wear a longer lariat for a different look, but there is definitely a minimum length for each body size.

Please click on the small photos below for more details.

Your choice of what to wear with the lariat is another consideration. Your lariat will get lost in a blouse that buttons up. Lorraine, above, wears an 18" lariat with a v-neck top, and at right, a 20" lariat with a mock turtleneck. I think the lariat lying against either bare skin or the fabric of a high neck top looks and works best.

Lorraine also wears earrings to match her lariat. Click the small photos at right for information on earrings.