I’m going to my first bead show this weekend, trying to find out how much they actually might cost.?
Serious replies only please. One poster said the bead show in her area charged a $1 per bead!, too me that’s ridiculous!, 20 beads for $20?? no that’s way over priced.. and not make very many pieces of jewelry, I’d come out better getting them online, or waiting for sales at Hobby Lobby, but I really want to go to the show. A Michael’s employee recommended it too me, and said the pricing was even better than the craft stores’ prices…can someone give me concrete answers on typical bead pricing? Thanks very much. I’m really excited about making my own jewelry so please no unnceccessary rude comments. thanks..:)
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Price would depend a lot on exatly what kinds of beads you want to buy!
Cheaper and/or sometimes smaller beads can be purchased fairly cheaply at craft stores and online, but some individual beads of “better” quality or individually-made ones could go from 50 cents to $20 apiece or even more (though many of those might be used as individual “focal” beads on a piece of jewelry rather than as spacer or other beads in the piece).
You might want to check out the Jewelry page at my site, under the category called “Suppliers,” for various other online bead supply sources:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/jewelry.htm
Another very good place to find beads for less money (even sometimes the higher-quality beads) btw is by buying whole pieces of jewelry at thrift stores, garage sales, etc., then taking them apart. You’ll often end up with all kinds of beads that way as well as findings that you can use in new pieces of jewelry you assemble.
I’d definitely suggest going to the bead show though. Most of them will have some beads and other supplies I’m sure you’ll want that won’t be too expensive or will be different than what you can get at a craft store or even a local bead store. But they can also be totally inspirational for getting ideas about things to do yourself, techniques, and just plain eye candy.
There are also lots of “beading” lessons/etc online that you might want to look at:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=how+to+beading+jewelry
For example, about.com has a whole jewelry section, and some of the online suppliers will have a lot too, as well as others.
http://jewelrymaking.about.com
http://beadwork.about.com
Once you know what *kind* of “beading” you want to do, you can also do internet searches for info on that particular type.
And… if you’re ever interested in *making your own* beads from polymer clay (to use in your jewelry pieces), there are loads of people doing that. Beads created with polymer clay can also be made to look just about any way you want (including like metals, semi-precious stones like turquoise/jade, wood, stone, and all kinds of things). The beads can also be created in any size and shape you want, or have all kinds of surface patterns, metallic effects, etc, etc.
Here’s an image search for “polymer clay beads” which should bring up a lot of the range of possibilities:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=polymer+clay+beads
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=polymer+clay+jewelry
If you’re ever interested in finding out about that, check out the other jewelry and wire related pages at my site (as well as the other pages on techniques for patterns/surface effects/etc) from the Table of Contents page:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/contents.htm
….scroll all the way down to see all the topics covered at the whole site …then to go to any of the pages (for lessons/examples/tools/tips/etc), click on the name of the page from inside the alphabetical navigation bar on the left
HTH,
Diane B.
I have only attended the Intergalactic Bead Show, so I cannot speak about other shows. I also work at a craft store in the bead department. Prices at the bead shows vary depending on the vendor and the kinds of beads. A number of vendors have economy beads at a good price. Some have plastic bins with 12″ to 16″ strands for $2 to $3 per strand, or ten of the $2 strands for $15. Some vendors also offer quantity discounts — $4 per strand or 10 strands for $30 – $35. You might want to check carefully as some stones/beads are misshapen or broken. There are also other vendors with upscale strands that can cost $20 or more. Individually crafted beads such as lampwork or polyclay can be expensive.
My strategy for bead shows — take a notepad, walk around first and note any beads, price and the vendor. After walking the show, you will be able to compare prices at various vendors and go for the best deal. Also, on my most recent bead show visit, I took a spreadsheet I had compiled of beads and findings I wanted, with prices from FireMountain so I could compare prices. Mostly I can do better on findings at FireMountain. Bead shows sometimes have unique items which may be difficult to find elsewhere. I also like bead shows because I can see and pick the exact bead or strand I buy.
The cheapest source I have found so far is FireMountain Gems http://www.firemountaingems.com if you are buying in quantity. Again, some of their economy beads are less than perfect, but over all I have been pleased, and shipping is reasonable. Check an issue of a beading magazine — there are many ads where you will find websites. And there are some very good deals on ebay, but be careful of the seller and shipping costs.
If you need help getting started, many online sources have free patterns & instructions, design galleries for inspiration, tutorials, etc. Check out FireMountain;s EncycloBEADia http://www.firemountaingems.com/encyclobeadia/default.asp?navsrc=2 for lots of helpful information.