where to buy beads/charms

aarti

T&co state of mind..
Nov 11, 2005
7,296
13
i want to make my own jewelry, kind of like the anthropologie type of necklaces and such, all vintage charms and all, especially the reviere necklace, i dont mind spending almost 400 on a necklace but i dont think the necklace is worth that much, but i still like it. any ideas where to get brass charms, cloissane beads, and out there stuff liek coral bits or sharks teeth, etc?
 
There are lots of places. Just do a search on the Internet. Be ready though to spend some money on equipment and strongly recommend you get a book to start off with. That's how I learned since I live in a small town that doesn't offer jewelry making classes.

Be careful of coral. Lots of coral out there is dyed. Make sure to find out since some of the dyed stuff you have to clean off the dye first. Lots of sites with shark teeth too.

Also check out local places. Some of the craft places have charms. I know that Micheal's has charms.

Good luck!:biggrin:
 
aarti said:
i want to make my own jewelry, kind of like the anthropologie type of necklaces and such, all vintage charms and all, especially the reviere necklace, i dont mind spending almost 400 on a necklace but i dont think the necklace is worth that much, but i still like it. any ideas where to get brass charms, cloissane beads, and out there stuff liek coral bits or sharks teeth, etc?

Making jewelry is so much fun and rewarding. It is a LOT of work though. :P Be ready to buy all the supplies you need as well as the materials.

Some of my favorite online stores are...

Fire Mountain Gems ( www.firemountaingems.com ) - No wholesale license required

Art Beads ... I don't think they require a wholesale...they're actually real close to where I work. ( www.artbeads.com ) They have great customer service.

Rings & Things - I'm pretty sure they don't require a wholesale license and the owner, Russ, is an amazingly wonderful, helpful, and honest person. ( www.rings-things.com )

The Bead Factory is another local one near my work and they are awesome! ( http://www.thebeadfactory.com/shopping/index.html )

Hopefully that will help you find what you need. And if all else fails...contact an indie jeweler (*cough*) and see if they can work with you. It may be less expensive in the long run because they usually can order wholesale and have all their tools. :yes:

Good luck!
 
CastoCreations said:
Hopefully that will help you find what you need. And if all else fails...contact an indie jeweler (*cough*) and see if they can work with you. It may be less expensive in the long run because they usually can order wholesale and have all their tools. :yes:

Good luck!

CastoCreations which indie jeweler are you referring to - Japster, sea4e or APrettyRock? :biggrin: :smile:

Aarti, I look forward to seeing pics of your work later. :biggrin:

Have any of you ladies bought from this shop which was featured as one of the indie shops of the day here:

http://humblebeads.com/beads2.html

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:ATqoQ-zlEAAJ:www.squidoo.com/bestindieshops+best+of+indie+squidoo&hl=en&gl=sg&ct=clnk&cd=1
 
sea4e said:
Be careful of coral. Lots of coral out there is dyed. Make sure to find out since some of the dyed stuff you have to clean off the dye first. Lots of sites with shark teeth too.

Much of the coral we see in pieces is dyed Bamboo Coral which is more earth-friendly and does not take away from the depleted and endangered coral.
Coral can be very delicate and the dyed version of it can lighten if it has too much sun exposure. Stay away from too-thin pieces that will snap easily.
 
passerby said:
CastoCreations which indie jeweler are you referring to - Japster, sea4e or APrettyRock? :biggrin: :smile:

Aarti, I look forward to seeing pics of your work later. :biggrin:

Have any of you ladies bought from this shop which was featured as one of the indie shops of the day here:

http://humblebeads.com/beads2.html

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:ATqoQ-zlEAAJ:www.squidoo.com/bestindieshops+best+of+indie+squidoo&hl=en&gl=sg&ct=clnk&cd=1

Passerby, I haven't heard of the lady from Humblebeads.
 
aarti,

I do work with alot of charms. Most of mine are pewter though. My husband is a shark fan so I could get shark teeth too. I have undyed coral chipsthat I am currently working on new pieces with. I don't work in gold or brass though (just sterling silver). Elana is who I would go to for work in gold.;)
 
I just remembered one more place that sells kind of neat beads and findings. Not sure if they are still in business but they had a nice online store.... Shipwreckbeads.com (i think)
 
CastoCreations, it is simply great having you lot (indie designers :biggrin: ) here. I passed the Ruby Lane link to a colleague - will wait for her feedback and revert (if complimentary :biggrin: )
 
Japster said:
I just remembered one more place that sells kind of neat beads and findings. Not sure if they are still in business but they had a nice online store.... Shipwreckbeads.com (i think)

Oh DUH!!! How could I have forgotten about them? I live like 10 minutes from them! :lol:

Yes, they are still in business. They have the biggest store ever! I swear, I could spend an entire weekend there. They even have a cafe! LOL And yes, their charms (mostly pewter) are awesome.
 
passerby said:
CastoCreations, it is simply great having you lot (indie designers :biggrin: ) here. I passed the Ruby Lane link to a colleague - will wait for her feedback and revert (if complimentary :biggrin: )

I'm pretty sure that it is free for shoppers but it costs an arm and a leg for vendors. :amazed: But it's a great site and helps with exposure so I stick around. :amuse: