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Bead Questions |
Can I get a price list of all your items? Everything is listed on our web site. How can I learn more about beads and jewelry making? We have some additional information including bead stringing tutorials on our More Information page. There is also additional information in the books we offer. How many beads are there in a strand? That depends on the size of the bead. You can figure this out if you know how many milimeters the bead string is, then divide that by the milimeters of the bead's diameter (for a round bead) or thickness (for a roundel, rectangle, or square bead.) Most bead strands are 15 - 16 inches long. A 15 inch strand is equal to 381 milimeters. A 16 inch strand is equal to 406.4 milimeters. So, if you have a 15 inch strand of beads that measure 4mm x 13mm and the 13mm is the lengthwise measurement, you would have (381 / 13) = 29 beads. Another example is a 16 inch strand of 4mm round beads, you would have (406.4 / 4) = 101 beads. Here is a great web page if you need to convert other numbers to or from metric. Metric Conversions.org. Alternatively, you can do a quick calculation here: Can you send me some sample beads? No. We do not supply sample beads, but we do allow returns of unaltered items with the exception of our books. What does untreated mean? It means the only treatment given to the natural stone to make it into beads is cutting, polishing, and drilling. They have not been heated, dyed, bleached, irradiated, stabilized or otherwise altered. Are all the gemstone beads natural and untreated? Although our bead suppliers do not always inform us of enhancing treatments that have been applied to the beads, you can assume that the quartz, garnet, coral, topaz, citrine, and colored freshwater pearls are dyed, heat-treated, or enhanced in some way. Enhancing procedures are normal practice in the semi-precious gemstone bead industry. When we are aware of any treatment beyond cutting and polishing, we indicate that in the description. All white freshwater pearls are bleached as a normal part of their processing. We consider this to not be a special treatment, and thus do not indicate it as a special treatment. Does the color come off any of the beads? In some cases, the color of beads may come off. If the beads are galvanized or dyed, rub-off is likely, as the color is on the surface of the bead. Fading of both dyed and natural (untreated) gemstone beads from exposure to light may also occur. We do indicate in the description of seed or Delica beads if we are aware that the color is likely to come off, and we put a label on the package if the manufacturer has indicated to us that the bead is subject to these problems. We have also observed dye coming off some of the semi-precious beads and have indicated that they are dyed in their web page descriptions. This problem can be minimized by rinsing the unstrung beads in warm water. However, doing so, may change the beads' color. Can you match pairs of beads for earrings? Yes, we will do our best to send matching pairs if you request it. Just make a comment in the "comments" box when you place your order or send us an email. What is that white powder in the bag with my beads? It is frit. Glass beads are formed on metal rods. Frit is a powder applied to the metal rods that prevents the glass bead from sticking to the rod. Some frit remains in the bead hole and falls off into the bag. On occasion, we re-use bags that have had glass beads in them, so you might find frit in any of our bags. How big are the beads' holes? That depends on the bead. Our metal beads have the largest holes. They are, for the most part, large enough to string twine or ribbon through. Some are large enough for leather or rubber cording. The next largest holes are the large Delica beads. Smaller, but still large, are the Czech pressed glass beads and shells. Next in line are the seed beads and Swarovski crystal beads. Opaque gemstone beads and freshwater pearls are next in line. The smallest holes are in the transparent gemstone beads. The holes are somewhat larger in the ones cut in China than those cut in India. These holes are so small, you may have trouble getting even a tiny brass twisted wire bead stringing needle through the hole. Plan on using a thin bead stringing material or wire for these beads. If you are new to bead stringing, you may want to start out with larger holes before tackling the tiny holes in transparent gemstone beads. My beads don't measure as advertised. Can you fix this? If our description of the beads says that the measurement is "approximate" then that means there is a possible size or length variation from that in the description, as not all the beads measured exactly the same. Also, there are sometimes errors on our web page, even though we try to be as accurate as possible. We reserve the right to make corrections with no further obligation. I want to give some beads as a gift. Can you gift wrap my order? No. By the way, if you are giving a gift purchase and want us to ship it directly to them, you must pay with PayPal or money order. Credit card orders can only be shipped to the account's address (the address where your card statement is sent.)
Do any of your beads contain lead?
Yes. The crystal and pewter beads do contain lead. Some of the plated beads may contain lead, but it will not come in contact with the skin unless the plating is worn off. Do you need to be reminded that the beads should not be eaten? We're not joking here - make sure you don't allow children or animals to consume them. Is your blue topaz radioactive?
No. We had it tested, and it proved not to be radioactive. Some blue topaz is, but ours is not. However, due to governmental regulations on blue topaz imports, we will no longer be offering it after our existing stock has been sold. |