Show me the beads!

I LOVE bead shopping!!! I HATE bead shopping!!!




If you are like me, you're like a kid in a candy store when you walk into a bead shop. Your eyes feast on all of those delectable beauties covering every inch of the walls. The table tops are adorned with buckets and trays spilling over with silver, copper and brass beads. You run over to the enclosed cases which feature the hard-to-find giant semi precious stones. Grab a basket and start filling it with beads! Beads! Beads! *THUD* Geesh, that was me hitting the brick wall. (indignantly rubbing bruised little nose)

Yep, that would be the brick wall we've all dubbed 'REALITY CHECK'. If you maintain inventory lists, then you are always watching what has been overstocked and what beads/stones seem to be scarce on your shelves. What are you going to do with the six bags of bronze freshwater pearls sitting on the bottom shelf? Sure they're beautiful, but people aren't flocking to your site to buy a piece made primarily from "brown" pearls. "Owie!". Yeah well, truth hurts. (I'll get to that story in a bit)

Inventory control. Too much of one stone in your shop will limit your creativity. "But it's my signature stone...everyone knows I favor it in my creations". Okay fair enough, but step outside of your safe zone and broaden that horizon a bit. You could design two hundred very different pieces, but if the same stone is used in all of them...they start to look alike. Also, you may love that particular stone but there are plenty of people out there that don't care for it all that much. These things are important to keep in mind when you notice a glaringly obvious abundance of one particular stone in your workshop. Different stones, metals, chains, etc., do indeed promote new design ideas.

Budget. Yeah that's right, I said it out loud. I can hear the collective *groan*. Nah, I don't care for budgets either. I can't stress enough, though, the importance of maintaining a strict budget with your bead spending. If you keep the books, then you will quickly see how overspending will hurt your business.

Quality control. Sounds incredibly simple...avoid buying crap, right? Mmmm, not really but close enough. For general stock, bulk bead orders, findings and clasps I would highly recommend the large online stores such as Rings ~n~ Things and Artbeads (to name a few). The downside? You will never find good deals on precious metal chain in these stores. Honestly, try to exclusively buy your chain at trade shows or in the city. Back to beads...I ALWAYS try to purchase handmade art beads directly from the artist (on Etsy of course). The best place to find gorgeous hand cut semi precious focal stones is in the store. Physically. Focal stones are SO important and should be handled/inspected carefully before you drop the cash for it. Questions you should be asking while holding the stone: Color matrix? Was it over sanded? Cut right? Cracks/faults? Shine/finish? Weight and size? Is it over priced??? AND will I use this in a design within the next two months?

Buying beads/stones on Etsy is another option I use. I hunt for the best deals and look for vendors that stress excellent packaging with insurance options. Watch out out for half strand pricing! If you're willing to pay $5 for a half strand of beads, it better be special and/or a hard-to-find. More often that naught, you can find the SAME bead in a full strand in the larger online bead stores for $8 to $9. I am in no way trying to sway you from using Etsy as a bead source...just be sure to shop around first. I am well aware that cheaper isn't always better. Over time you will figure which vendors provide you with the best quality beads at good prices.

Happy bead shopping!

~LeeAnn M.

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