Anybody make beaded jewelry?

[Peepa]

Where do you buy your beads?
All the bead stores I go to are pricey. Thinking there''s an online store I can buy in bulk?
Suggestions?

 

[diane5006]

Hello fellow beader...

Depending on how much you need...buying in bulk may be good...but bulk can be ''bulky''

But for somethings...you may just need a little (a small tube of delicas goes a long way) same wiht 15/0

What exactly are you looking for...

Seed beads, if so what brand ??

Crystals ?

Some sites only sell to people with reseller licenses...some to all

I have bought in bulk and from bead stores...it is nice to look at the beads in real life...then you know what the color looks like

(I have soooooo many beads)

What type of projects are you working on?

Let me know what you are looking for...I might be able to point you in the right direction

 

[Elmorton]

I really like Michael''s and Hobby Lobby, but I''ve just gotten started with the beading. My MIL goes to all sorts of fancy bead stores and buys goooorgeous beads, but you''re right, they''re pretty pricey.

One of the things I do is use beads from jewelry that I no longer wear or from something that broke. I got this tip from a woman who goes to thrift stores and buys stuff to re-use for her projects.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I do. I bought a lot from fire mountain gems or local shops.

 

[anniee19]

I haven''t done too much beading but my aunt does, and buys all over her crystals and other beads from fire mountain gems, like Tacori.

 

[Peepa]

Date: 2/20/2009 1:16:11 PM
Author: diane5006
Hello fellow beader...

Depending on how much you need...buying in bulk may be good...but bulk can be ''bulky''

But for somethings...you may just need a little (a small tube of delicas goes a long way) same wiht 15/0

What exactly are you looking for...

Seed beads, if so what brand ??

Crystals ?

Some sites only sell to people with reseller licenses...some to all

I have bought in bulk and from bead stores...it is nice to look at the beads in real life...then you know what the color looks like

(I have soooooo many beads)

What type of projects are you working on?

Let me know what you are looking for...I might be able to point you in the right direction

I actually have a ton of beads, just not the really nice ones. I ignored them for as long as I could because I was still teaching myself but I feel confident about crimping now and not having my bracelets/necklaces break off so I''d like to start making them with better beads.
Mostly the Swarovski crystals as I have sead beads and just to have fun but would like to give as gifts.

 

[neatfreak]

I''ve bought from Fire Mtn. Gems too.

 

[Definitely. Maybe]

I buy from Micheals and with a coupon or a sale, you can get them pretty cheap. I''ve also ordered them offline and I''ve seen them on ebay to in bulk.

 

[julesbeth]

Hi! I make jewelry too and my 2 favorite online stores are

Beadaholique

and

Lima Beads


Beadaholique has pretty much everything - from Seed beads, gemstone beads, cz, pearls, etc... Shipping is pretty quick, and I find the prices to be MUCH better than my local fancy pants beading store.

 

[diane5006]

For crystals...unless you feel comfortable with the seller...I would avoid eBay...I would be worried about fakes...

I am refering to Swarovski here

When I first started buying crystals...I brokedown the ones I bought into a 'price per bead' system...to see when the better prices were...since I was betting them in diff quantities from diff places...and then I could compare wiht new vendors.

The cheapest ones are the plain colors (eg plain crystal) and they go up form there...I have lots of crystals (almost 100 different colors of various sizes and shapes)...my friends used to give me a hard time (jokingly) but now I have a large selectioon to chose from and I am not limited when I do stuff.

I used to have a local 'wholesaler' with good prices...but the 9% sales tax killed me...then I moved...But it is fun to see the crystals up close and personal.

The stores I buy from sell in diff quantities for the smaller ones (individual for the bigger/unique stones)...12, 48, 144 (a gross), Factory Pack 1440.

My favorite on-line place for Crystals is www.bluemud.com

The prices are good especially the more you buy...and their orders ship fast...and their selection is really good...they don'y have everything...but they have a lot...and it isone of the few places that have a good selection of 2mm rounds

Fire Mountain is ok too. not bad for findings

For stone beads...house of gems and Lima beads

For seed beads (TOHO) www.bobby bead.com

Good places for stone/gemish beads and findings...are the gem shows...I like Intergem better than Intergalactic Bead....

There is also Preciosa Crystal...limited shapes and colors...but cheaper than swarovski...I don't have a good source for them yet

Happy Beading

 

[diane5006]

Sorry I don''t know why my links didn''t work

 

[ksinger]

For Swarovski, I''ve used and been pleased with Peacecreek.com. It''s been awhile since I ordered from them, but I''m sure at the time I did my homework (I always do) and their prices were good. The certainly had an excellent selection....

 

[zhuzhu]

I do lots of beaded jewelry and my favorite online store is Artbeads.com.

 

[portia]

I mostly work with gemstones, silver, gold fill and vermeil. I''ve bought from firemountaingems, rings n things, sappiregarden, rana mountain, stoneage hardware and some local shops. I agree that a lot of places are very expensive, although lately it seems I''ve been getting a lot of coupons from some of these places. I think they may be hurting for business.

 

[tommalle]

I also love artbeads.com. They have free shipping and if you sign up for emails you get coupons and sale notifications.

 

[Peepa]

Date: 2/21/2009 11:46:03 PM
Author: tommalle
I also love artbeads.com. They have free shipping and if you sign up for emails you get coupons and sale notifications.

Ooh thanks! I''m going to sign up right after I hang out here.