Fanny Leichter at lzidor’s Watch Co.
This nimble-fingered Russian-born artist has been serving the fashionable and finicky from the same spot for more than 30 years. Inside her work cupboards, dozens of envelopes hold precious necklaces bearing the names of important stores and eminent designers. A sixteen- to eighteen-inch length of pearls strung on silk and knotted is about $25. She’s a talented designer, too. Turnaround in one to three weeks.
23 W. 47th St., nr. Fifth Ave., sixth fl.; 212-730-1142; by appointment only.

Doris Kahn at Murrey’s Jewelers
This veteran stringer loves to make contemporary pieces from combinations of your granny’s old ones, and she’s devised a way to string on gold or platinum wire, which is ideally suited for precious-gem beads. She also practices the all-but-lost art of pearl weaving—a more elaborate way of stringing pearls into patterns or latticework. Straight pearl-stringing on silk ranges from $25 to $40 for a sixteen- to eighteen-inch length; pearl weaving starts at $75. One- to three-week turnaround.
1395 Third Ave., nr. 79th St.; 212-879-3690.

Related:

• Archive: “The Everything Guide”
• Table of Contents: May 9, 2005 issue of New York | Subscribe!