Oh Good Beads

The plunder from the last weeks' bead shows is gradually making its public debut in our store.

The pearl tray on the crystal table is now full, and there are even more strands hanging on the wall. The colors are luscious, perfect for spring--your Easter outfit, something to lightly turn a young man's fancy to thoughts of love, or whatever your particular desire to adorn yourself is for.

For those longing for summer and the beach, a foretaste can be had in the shells that are now out. Perfect mussel shells, perfect for stringing. Combine them with glass in blues and greens for the feel of the ocean, or with semi-precious, crystals, the pearls from the last paragraph and a little silver or gold, to mimic a mermaid's treasure.

We have lots and lots of strands of semi-precious chips--the most affordable way to own a little bit of the prettiest rocks in the world. The most imaginative use I've seen anyone come up with for a strand of chips was as a handle for a vintage handbag, but they're equally lovely just strung as themselves; alternatively, twist a handful of them together for an opulent look.

Our new (well, new since last May) location may be on the small side, but it's beginning to look as rich as Ali Baba's cave. Come in and see what you can find for you!

Pearls, pearls, pearls

The trip to the bead show over the weekend netted an impressive catch of freshwater pearls. The oysters must have been working overtime to produce the gorgeous stuff that glows from the inside. Lots of colors and shapes....soft peaches, vivid greens, deep reds...potato pearls, stick pearls, rice pearls large and small. These should all be available to the public by the weekend at the latest, in both strands and singly. String them up by themselves for simple elegance, or combine them with any of the other beads in the store, from the seed beads that mimic knotting, to the crystals and Czech glass that set them off so well--or the sea shells that harken back to their beginnings.

All that glitters

Could actually be gold. We have a whole bunch of high-quality, gold-plated beads--in sizes from 15 to 8. There's silver too. The finishes are extremly durable, being, in the case of the gold, 22K. The nice thing about these beads is that they give seed bead work the look of fine jewelry.

Adding to the look are our Swarovski crystals. Unlike a great many other bead shops, who hoard their crystals under the counter, ours our out and accessible in bowls on their own table. The colors range from the sublte Pacific Opal to the brilliant Fuchsia AB2x, with almost everything in between. In a few days, there will be freshwater pearls to add to the mix, since, as we mentioned, the bead show season is starting again, and our owners will be going to one on Friday. By next Wednesday, you can expect our selection to have swelled appreciably.