I have been a member of ISGB (International Society of Glass Beads) for about 15 years and GAS (Glass Art Society) equally as long. So I was a little taken back when I received a pamphlet at the GAS conference here in San Jose, CA (where I spent 3 days volunteering) called “How to Buy Glass…
This is a question we get often, especially from new beaders who have just been their first bead show. Are all Venetian Beads are annealed. She had heard that annealing makes the beads stronger. What is annealing? The word comes from the metallurgy and materials science where it has long been recognized it increases the metals ductility…
This is a question every new beader asks when they first encounter Venetian Beads. And then they ask, “What size wire should I use?” Venetian Beads, Murano Beads The most common size of holes of Murano Glass Beads is approximately 1mm. Approximate because they are most often made on 1mm diameter copper rods, which heats…
Gold (24kt) is really too soft for daily wear (and expensive) so Gold jewelry is generally alloyed with another metal to maker it stronger. It bears the mark of the karat weight. So 14/24kt Gold is 58.3% Gold, divide the karat weight by 24 (pure gold) to get the actual gold in a piece. Gold…
Swarovski and others crystals, rhinestones and flatbacks use PP, SS and MM, what do they mean and why! PP means Pearl Plate and was originally used to measure, well Pearls. That’s because the pearls were graded through stacks of plates with varying size holes. Actually we still use these in our first sort on sizes…
Read our Blog on the trouble in the Murano. Click Here
ALIBABA and the 40 1 Thief: The ongoing rumors of Ebay being bought by Alibaba have opened our eyes on how exactly a Chinese seller on Ebay can offer free shipping on an item which they sell for under $2.00, though this dates back a couple of years. And to just why Alibaba might be interested…
When you apply for wholesale, we do need your sales tax ID. If you are in a state where there is no Sales Tax, lucky you. But there is a business ID most likely. If you live in California, it is absolutely necessary that we have your Sales Tax ID, which we verify with the State.…