Pearls on Buttercream or fondant

I have a client that wants pearls now, the little hard ones, and wants pearl "drop string" effect, on the bottom, with fondant swags, and precisely placed pearls on the second tier and then on the top part that I can only describe as a band of pearls across the middle,  scalloped, on top and bottom.

They provided a sketch that I obviously can't share, and I think it will be pretty, minus a bit. Obviously, I plan to place each one, individually for the second and bottom tiers, but with the top, my thought would be to paint in the pattern with piping gel, the grab handfuls and stick them on, but they want buttercream, which I would want to freeze first, so I don't scar up the sides with the pearls...Will this work, or will the pearls just melt down the side of the cake upon thawing? Or do I just tell them it has to be fondant? (I have no problem with that, if it is true, I just don't want to tell them it has to fondant if it doesn't. ) If I can't grab handfuls, then the price of the cake has just gone WAY up!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dayti 

Even if it's frozen are you sure you won't dent the rest of the sides of the cake? I would do a test with a dummy or something, you only need to do a rough test on a patch of it. Maybe you could try rolling your cake along a load of pearls so they stick to the piping gel, if the handfulls don't work. I don't think they will slide down the cake when it thaws though.

 I don't think they will dent if it is frozen hard enough, but that means condensation. And I can just see the pearls running down the sides, like water droplets

Quote:

Originally Posted by costumeczar 

Crumb coat the cake, then put a piece of waxed paper the shape of the band on the cake where the pearl band will be. Then ice the cake and stick it in the freezer for a bit. Pull off the waxed paper band carefully and it will leave you with a ditch where the pearls are gong to go. Chill the cake, then you can put icing in the ditch and press the pearls up against it. If the icing softens up on the part that needs to stay smooth you can stick it back in the fridge for a while then keep working on it.

 

I think I'll do a blog tutorial on that, it's a good thing to show in photos.

I absolutely get what you are saying! I think it could work...I already sent the email stating it had to be fondant, though, lol...I think I will still charge the fondant price, since the groom is so smarmy and weird, and WAY too involved.