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Turquoise beads?

meely

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Anyone know of any reliable bead sellers? I would like to buy genuine turquoise beads rather than dyed or reconstituted. 4mm is fine as is matrix within reason. I would prefer a vivid blue to browns/green. I saw these but they seem very cheap.
 

Gloria27

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These are some of the nicest looking ones I found on Etsy.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/720...earch_query=turquoise&ref=shop_items_search_2




Haven't bought anything from these sellers yet.
 
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Bluegemz

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There is a chance that they are stabilized...I don’t know if that matters in your search, but it’s worth asking about. Most turquoise is (dipped in polymer). Only a small percentage of the sleeping beauty turquoise is gem quality, and strong enough to be unstabilized. In that case, the price will be much more expensive than most sleeping beauty beads, especially since the mine closed.
Good luck on your search! I adore turquoise and some nice beads are just so beautiful.
 
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Gloria27

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To be honest, I am always looking for Zachery treated pieces, that treatement is not visible, seals the pores and the stones don't discolour. I think I prefer it to the stone being untreated, my latest two pieces are Zachery treated.
 

Bluegemz

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To be honest, I am always looking for Zachery treated pieces, that treatement is not visible, seals the pores and the stones don't discolour. I think I prefer it to the stone being untreated, my latest two pieces are Zachery treated.

Zachery treated is great. TBH, I have a necklace of untreated Persian tourquouse beads which I wish were Zachary treated. I’m always worrying about discoloring them and need to be careful about sunblock, perfumes etc. I end up wearing them less because of this.
 

Gloria27

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Zachery treated is great. TBH, I have a necklace of untreated Persian tourquouse beads which I wish were Zachary treated. I’m always worrying about discoloring them and need to be careful about sunblock, perfumes etc. I end up wearing them less because of this.

Exactly, turquoise is great for summer but that's when people use sunblock which makes it difficult.
I know which beads you are talking about, I remember your pieces, you have great taste.
 

Bluegemz

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Exactly, turquoise is great for summer but that's when people use sunblock which makes it difficult.
I know which beads you are talking about, I remember your pieces, you have great taste.

Thank you!! I don’t mind if my turquoise cuff bracelets become discolored over time (which they already have due to their older age), but with beads, For me, it’s a different story completely. Maybe because when set in jewelry, there are different design elements which hold the Different turquoise colors together, but in beads, they are more dependent upon each other for visual unity.
 
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meely

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Thanks @Gloria27 and @Bluegemz maybe I should look at Zachery treated ones then. Have you seen any?
Thanks for posting those links Gloria. Do you think they are more likely to be genuine than the one I posted or do you just prefer the look? I can see the ones I posted have more variation between beads.
 

Bluegemz

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Thanks @Gloria27 and @Bluegemz maybe I should look at Zachery treated ones then. Have you seen any?
Thanks for posting those links Gloria. Do you think they are more likely to be genuine than the one I posted or do you just prefer the look? I can see the ones I posted have more variation between beads.

If I see any, I’ll post! These might be harder to find...I’m guessing this is done mostly to cabs, but I don’t know.
 

Gloria27

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I think the ones you posted are somewhat lower quality, they have too many lines in them, don't look as solid and the greener but vibrant tone (concentrated in lines) might be because they are polimer treated. Nothing wrong with that, the price is good but they are not heirloom material.
Only high quality material can be Zachery treated.





These are not cheap but they look nice, not sure what the right price would be to be honest. Just found them on Etsy, never bought from this seller. They are much cleaner than even the ones posted by me earlier which were claimed untreated, maybe that's why they cost this much.
 

meely

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Yes they are lovely, thanks! So would I be to wear these and not worry about perfume/moisturiser/sun lotion/salt water? Or would I still need to be careful with them but they are less likely to discolour? I don’t want green beads
 

EAB

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Have you tried googling trading posts in AZ and NM? Or individual shops that specialize in turquoise? There are many that sell online, both new products and vintage. If you are wanting genuine Native American pieces these might offer better options than some more generic bead sellers.
 

Gloria27

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Yes they are lovely, thanks! So would I be to wear these and not worry about perfume/moisturiser/sun lotion/salt water? Or would I still need to be careful with them but they are less likely to discolour? I don’t want green beads

I believe they will not discolour (not 100% sure). I've been wearing a pendant for years, never sprayed anything directly on it but had been in contact with sunscreen and soaps and nothing happened.
Zachery treatments leave the surface sealed and smooth, I'd say it feels like highly polished chalcedony to the touch if I would compare to anything.

Here is a good article about the process:


Another one from Etsy, bonus a pendant:
 

meely

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@EAB I’m not wanting Native American pieces. Probably the opposite, a fairly modest and plain bead necklace.
 

Gloria27

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Meely, this article states that there is no sign of discoloration with age when treated with the Zachery process:
I am still testing/started wearing my second and third purchases besides the first pendant and I'm not worried at all.
 

Austina

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I’m no expert, just worked with a lot of beads, I‘m not sure about the ones you’ve posted, because I’ve seen sea sediment beads like that. I also thought that genuine Arizona sleeping beauty turquoise was a lot more expensive than those listed. The NewWorldGemz ones seem much more like the price I’d expect of ASB turquoise.
 

Gloria27

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I’m no expert, just worked with a lot of beads, I‘m not sure about the ones you’ve posted, because I’ve seen sea sediment beads like that. I also thought that genuine Arizona sleeping beauty turquoise was a lot more expensive than those listed. The NewWorldGemz ones seem much more like the price I’d expect of ASB turquoise.

Good to know.
I'm not really aware of the current prices, I only know that round beads cost more due to loss of material and workmanship that goes into them.
 

meely

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Thanks @Austina for chiming in. I had about £300 in my mind having done some brief research last year so those last ones feel about right. Am I right In thinking I would need to string those babies? Any tips?
 

Austina

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Yes @meely, just looking at one of the photos, it shows it’s just strung on thread. I use Tigertail wire for stringing beads, it’s really strong and makes it really easy to string the beads on to as it’s semi rigid. You could use monofilament, which is also strong, but not as easy to string the beads on to. I’m not sure how much you know about stringing beads, so excuse me if you already know this, but you’ll also need a clasp/lobster claw/ whatever you decide you want as the fastening. If you’re using Tigertail wire, I like to use a wire guardian, it keeps the wire from rubbing on the clasp, plus you’ll need crimps, I prefer tubes to the beads, and I like to use crimp covers to give a neat finish. HTH
 

meely

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Thanks @Austina, I know nothing about stringing beads . I’m thinking about getting some pearls for my Mum so would have to learn for that too. Where’s the best place to get the things you mention from and any recommendations for how to vids?
 

Austina

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Don’t know where you are, but if you’re in the US, I imagine somewhere like a hobby shop would have them. You’ll also need a basic set of jewellery making pliers, a pair of crimp pliers, and for pearls, you’ll need special pearl threading silk and a needle. YouTube is always a good source for how to videos, and if you need any help, please just ask, happy to help.
 

meely

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Thanks @Austina I’m in the UK. Looking at this now, must admit I’m slightly intimidated by it
 

Austina

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I’m in the UK too, let me look out some links for you. I’ll get back to you later.
 

Austina

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OK @meely I’ve taken a photo of some pliers for you.

If you’re not intending to make loops, strictly speaking you don’t need the round pliers, but often you can get a set which contains the round, flat, and cutting pliers. I’ve looked on Hobbycraft’s website, and they’re out of the basic starter set, so I’d look on Ebay.

5E2FA659-3DC6-496A-AFD3-63593AAE136B.jpeg

The dark blue pair are the crimping pliers. The black handled is the round nose and the turquoise are the cutting and flattening pliers.

I’ve mocked up how to attach a clasp, I think you’ll need to blow up the picture to see it properly.

What I do is take a length of Tigertail wire, deciding how long you want the necklace to be and adding on extra for the clasp. It’s very cheap so you can afford to be generous until you’re more confident. Take one end, and thread on 2 crimp tubes. The thread the wire through a wire guardian, then put through the loop of the clasp so the guardian (horseshoe shape) has the tail of the wire and the long length of the wire each side of the clasp. Thread the short end through both crimp tubes and push the crimp tubes up to the ends of the horseshoe. Take your crimping pliers and position in the notched part and press down. You should end up with a squished figure of 8. With the nose of the crimping pliers, squeeze together the 8. Repeat this process. With a crimp cover, fit over the crimped tube and carefully close it together x 2, this will give you what now looks like 2 silver beads. Cut off any excess wire from your short end (or you can tuck it in to the first couple of beads). With the clasp secured on one end, you’re now ready to start beading. When you get to the end, repeat the process. It’s always more difficult to do the other end.

I would suggest you get yourself a cheap pack of findings in silver plate to practice with, so that you don’t waste money on real silver findings while you’re learning.

0796A835-CFFC-4942-A4B6-FE6158127417.jpeg

Let me know if you’ve got any questions, happy to help.
 

Gloria27

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Anyone who can knot pearls (or a jeweller)could make a necklace for you, the price is around 30 GBP (plus clasps and all). Sometimes it's easier this way than to buy all the tools.
I have done a DIY project and bought some wire and chain and made a simple necklace from leftover pearls but I had a couple of tries to get it right.
Bought my supplies (wire, chain and beads) from Thecuriousgem.co.uk . You could also try Manchesterminerals.co.uk or Kernowcraft.com all UK based.

One more thing, some garage tool boxes might have the pliers you need, I didn't buy any just raided hubby's.
 
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Daisys and Diamonds

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i got my pliers for bead work from my old work
a hardwear store
cost $5 for a cheap little set
same thing but in pink was about $30 from the bead store .....
i still have them
and Gary, who is a retired tradesmen who only ever brought good tools often looks at them and tries to say they are his :mrgreen2:
 

meely

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Thank you so so much for your reply @Austina I didn’t get the notification and only came on today. I really appreciate you taking the time to write that explanation I hope you didn’t think I couldn’t be bothered to reply. About to read through now but wanted to post this first!
 

meely

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@Austina I have read through now. Thank you so much. My main thoughts are that I find it hard to learn and get frustrated easily. Not good traits but there we have it. I think I could be ‘all the gear no idea’ with this project :lol:
I am thinking I may need to try first with some cheap beads and go from there. The ones I fancy are going to be around £250 plus postage don’t want to muck up with those babies :-o
 

meely

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@Gloria27 yes I think that could be an option. However I would definitely get a sense of satisfaction doing it myself. I would also like to do a string of oversized malachite beads. Some wens pearls for my mum and possibly me. I got an amazing bargain string of red amber years ago that I have given to my Mum that also needs doing and I quite fancy some Whitby jet that no doubt would need redoing as an eBay bargain hunter so I am not short of potential projects.
 
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