There are several things to consider when you are choosing the size of the pearls. Larger pearls may add a lot of weight to the necklace, which can add a strain on the wearer. If you are stringing the pearls onto silk cord, larger pearls may cause the cord to stretch over time. You also will want to make sure that the multiple strands will not be too large for the clasp that you are using, and have enough room to lay flat at the ends.

if its a boy, i would do a braclet with thick, black leather chording. in my oppinion, this in the hardest part about designing jewelry. making guy jewelry. but what i learned is that to stay on these guidelines:

1. no earrings, i recomed a braclet.
2. dark colors
3. wood and shell beads come out pretty nice
4. only oxidized metals
5. the simpler the better

i hope this helps. Happy beading!

--Ellie--

To do the calculations yourself, you will need three numbers: the length of the strand, the size of the beads, and the metric conversion. The metric conversion is 25.4mm to 1 inch. So, to figure out how many beads, first multiply the length of the strand by 25.4. Then divide that number by the size of the beads and you have the approximate number of beads.

here is a large hole bead section:

http://www.artbeads.com/caspia.html

The hole size of an 8mm bead will vary depending on the bead manufacturer and the material that the bead is made out of. You are more than welcome to contact Customer Service with the product code of the bead that you're interested in, and we can measure the hole size of the bead for you.