New Color: Luster Iris Tanzanite

If there are melons on your wish list, we have good news for you. We added a new color to our lineup of 5mm Melons: Luster Iris Tanzanite. The beautiful finish accents the grooves in the melon while not overpowering the glowing purple Tanzanite color. If you enjoy Luster Iris Tanzanite, try it in both the 5mm Mini Melon and on Firepolish as well.

1-04-LR2051 Firepolish 4mm : Luster Iris - Tanzanite

287-05-LR2051 Melon Round 5mm : Luster Iris - Tanzanite

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Dark Bronze

This season, dare to pair any colored metallic with dark bronze (color number 14415).  A color palette staple, bronze is and always will be a timeless shade of shimmer.  Trends have continued to evolve into an elegantly liberated hodge-podge of mixed media and unconventional color pairings.  Check out this essential color in our expanding shape selection including its transparent alternative, Bronze Illusion (04415).

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Product Introduction - Wildly Bohemian Kit!

In the last few months we have had more and more customers asking for kits that combine both Czech glass and TOHO seed beads. Well it took us a little time, but I'm very excited to announce the launch of our new line,Wildly Bohemian Kits!






Look for our ad in the June Bead & Button!

 

 

Our kits come in 12 different color combinations and include 10 tubes of TOHO seed beads and a coordinating mix of quality Czech glass beads. This includes holiday themes, basic color palettes and some of today's most popular color combinations.

The Wildly Bohemian Kits were designed with all levels of beaders in mind. Perfect for the beginner who needs a boost to their bead collection, but also great for the advanced beader who may need a jolt of inspiration.

Speaking of inspiration, the selection of beads in each Wildly Bohemian Kit lends it's self to a wide variety of project. From basic stringing to free form peyote the possibilities are endless. I used my kit to show Lisa how to bead embroider a button.




 

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TOHO 3/0 Rounds

I wanted to take a moment to shine a little light on the TOHO 3/0 Round category. Over the last few months we've been quietly adding to the category and now have close to 40 colors and counting.

The TOHO 3/0 Rounds measures about 5.5mm in diameter and you get about 5-6 beads per gram. Because they are a TOHO product they have the same consistency in size and shape that you have come to expect.

I've always found this size perfect for teaching beginners and kids how to use seed beads. The holes are big enough to see, and the size makes them manageable for small hands and people who are new to seed beads. But don't think that's all they are good for, I use them in both bead embroidery and stringing projects. Their jumbo size makes the different colors and finishes look stunning.

So if large seed beads are what your looking for, You'll want to give TOHO 3/0 Round a try.

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Color Spotlight - Copper & Purple

Well folks it's Fall. In Sequim this means shorter days, cooler weather and beautiful Fall colors.

So in the spirit of the changing seasons we're putting the spotlight on a truly modern classic color combination for fall.

( Click the picture above to see a few of our favorite copper & purple beads )

Copper in all of its warm orangy goodness invokes the color of the turning leaves so prevalent this time of year. I love how in the past few years, with the rise in price of gold and silver, this simple metal has made a come back in the bead world. And it deserves all of its new found attention. When at its brightest it glows hot like burning embers and when given a finish such as antiqued or matted the warmth of this color still shines through.

In contrast, purple, whether deep and rich like grapes ready for harvest or soft and ethereal as early morning storm clouds. This color is a perennial favorite,showing up in one shade or another on color forecaster's list for just about every season. And who can blame them it's just so versatile, add more blue to cool it down or give it a dash of red to warm it up, this is a color that can compliment or contrast beautifully with just about any color in the rainbow.

Given these two colors individual qualities it is no wonder they compliment and contrast with each other so well. Rich and warm, this color combination is perfect for fall.

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Black Light Sensitive Glass - Milky Jonquil

Glass color #81000 - Milky Jonquil

Big Bold and Beautiful - These Chunky Nugget beads are fun and flashy. Milky Jonquil is a mild yellow that can blend in with soft pastels as well as stand out on its own when paird with other vivid and lively colors. Unlike many UV sensitive beads, milky jonquil is a great complimentary color to the brilliant green it turns into under the black light.

These beads are available for a limited time -Loose Large Nuggets 33/19mm : Milky Yellow - Get them while supplies last!

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Alexandrite at its Best

Click on picture to see an enlarged version.

Pear Shaped Drops 315-1216: Color 21210 - Milky Alexandrite

Some beads beg to have their picture taken. I don't usually jump at the chance to take pictures of alexandrite glass because its shape shifting, color bending properties do not make great stock photos. This time it was different; the beads couldn't hide their excitement from being touched by the sun beaming through the window. I grabbed my point and shoot and clicked away.

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TOHO Permanent Finish Galvanized Seed Beads

Here is a listing of all the permanent finish galvanized seed beads now available. More colors to be added soon! We've had these beads in stock for a few months now and they have proved to be extremely popular. Toho has created a quality seed bead finish that's as durable as it is beautiful. Rub them, wash them, wear them, you'll see the difference!

Regular/Matte
PF558: Galvanized Aluminum
PF557: Galvanized Starlight
PF564: Galvanized Brick Red
PF556: Galvanized Mauve
PF553: Galvanized Pink Lilac
PF554: Galvanized Lilac
PF552: Galvanized Peach Coral
PF562: Galvanized Saffron
PF561: Galvanized Green Teal

TOHO Permanent Finish Beads

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African Sunset

With its golden glow and blood red core, African Sunset (color #329) is one of our most popular seed bead colors. We've just received a shipment of new items that increases our selection in this color to nine shapes and sizes including rounds, hexes, bugles, triangles and treasures.

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Alexandrite Color Spectrum

Alexandrite (color# 2021) -- Is it blue? Is it purple? It's one of a kind that's for sure!

This pleasingly gentle color is notorious for confusing beaders with its ability to change from sapphire to lavender depending on what type of light shines on it. Regular indoor lighting can sometimes make it difficult for customers to tell alexandrite apart from light sapphire (color # 3001). When in doubt I recommend taking the beads outside into direct sunlight, or near a bright window.

Getting the beads to display the way you want them to in a photo can also prove to be difficult. Daylight fluorescent bulbs are an ideal light source for taking accurate product shots, but they can only show one side of alexandrite.
The contrast between the two variations is so striking that it is very difficult to switch one to the other by attempting drastic adjustments in photoshop.

To get the deep brilliance to show you may need to play around with your camera's white balance settings. The purple versions of these pictures were taken under halogen lighting with the white balance of the camera set to incandescent. The pictures were then modified and adjusted slightly in photoshop.

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Color Spotlight - Diamond

When choosing a birthstone color to spotlight for the month of April the choice was clear -- crystal clear.

Below are some quick links to see our brilliant alternatives to diamonds.

Czech Glass
0003 : Crystal
X0003: Crystal AB
SL0003: Crystal Silverlined
L0003: Luster Crystal
LR0003: Luster Iris Crystal
28001: Crystal/Marea
28003: Silver/Blue/Crystal
M0003: Matte - Crystal
MX0003: Matte - Crystal AB

Toho Seed Bead Color Numbers:
1: Crystal
1F: Frosted Crystal
21: Crystal Silverline
21F: Fronsted Crystal Silverline
161: Trans-Rainbow Crystal
161F: Frosted Trans-Rainbow Crystal
3201: Crystal/Silver Mix

This link will take you to a list of Rhinestone Findings with crystal clear chatons. We carry a full line of birthstone colors in many shapes and sizes. Of all the colored stones in settings we carry, none are more popular than crystal.

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Color Spotlight - Aquamarine

Here's a list of links to quickly browse our selection of March's birthstone color - Aquamarine!

Czech Glass

6001: Aquamarine

6002: Aquamarine

6003: Dark Aquamarine

61000: Milky Aquamarine

Toho Seed Beads

3: Aquamarine

23: Silver-Lined Aquamarine

3B: Dark Aquamarine

3F: Transparent-Frosted Aquamarine

3BF: Transparent-Frosted Medium Aquamarine

23BF: Silver-Lined-Frosted Dark Aquamarine

163: Trans-Rainbow Aquamarine

163BF: Trans-Rainbow-Frosted Dark Aquamarine

143: Ceylon Aqua

954: Inside-Color Aqua/Lt Jonquil Lined

932: Inside-Color Aqua/Capri Lined

990: Gold-Lined Aqua

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New Toho Colors and Styles!

We just received our latest shipment of new Toho beads. I've listed them below. Click on the picture to be directed to the item in our catalog, or you can click on the color number to see all items we have available in that color.

Toho Round 3/o

#991 -Silver-Lined Peridot

#1013 -Silver-Lined Citrus

#989 -Gold-Lined Crystal

#929 - Rainbow Yellow/Capri Lined

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Toho Round 8/o

#2031F -Silver-Lined Frosted Rainbow Rosaline
2027BDF -Silver-Lined Frosted Rainbow Teal
#1833 - Rainbow Lt. Sapphire/Teal Lined

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Toho Round 11/o

#2035F -Silver-Lined Frosted Rainbow Sapphire
#15F -Transparent-Frosted Citrus Spritz
#15 -Citrus Spritz

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Toho Hex 11/o

#135 -Transparent Lemon Lime
#990 -Gold-Lined Aqua
#991 -Gold-Lined Peridot
#989 -Gold-Lined Crystal

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Color Spotlight - Amethyst

It's a little late in the month, but I thought i'd take the opportunity to spotlight February's birthstone color -- Amethyst.

Our catalog has over 10,000 active items listed over 15 categories. It can be quite the task to search through the items one by one. Searching by color number is one of the many helpful hints we will be covering on a regular basis.

Common amethyst czech glass cane and Toho seed bead numbers:
Czech Glass
2002: Light Amethyst
2003: Medium Amethyst
2004: Amethyst
2006: Dark Amethyst
15726: Luster Amethyst
23020: Opaque Amethyst
23030: Opaque Dark Amethyst
21000: Milky Amethyst

Toho Seed Beads
6: Transparent Light Amethyst/6F Matte
6B: Transparent Medium Amethyst/6BF - Matte
6C: Transparent Amethyst/6CF - Matte
166: Trans-Rainbow Lt. Amethyst/166F - Matte
166B: Trans-Rainbow Med Amethyst/166BF - Matte
166C: Trans Rainbow Amethyst/166CF - Matte
26: Silver-Lined Frosted Light Amethyst/26F - Matte
26B: Silver-Lined Medium Amethyst/26BF - Matte
110B: Trans-Lustered Med Amethyst
502 : Higher-Metallic Amethyst
503: Higher-Metallic Dark Amethyst
201: Gold-Lustered Amethyst

To get more results you can simply type in "Amethyst", but it may take you a while to load depending on your internet connection.

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