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Friday, January 16, 2009
Here's the latest metallic finish shade we've expanded on our website. We've experimented with this color in our SuperNova Hybrid collection and the first batch is going fast (color #Y601)! Now's the time to stock up for maximum variety.We've also added some more fire polish to our catalog that compliments the SuperNova's. You can check them out here: http://www.czechbeads.com/Catalog/Products.aspx?s=SNHC
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Meet the latest coating we've added to our Czechbead family - Matte Metallic Goldenrod! This is the first of four new metallic finishes that are trickling onto our warehouse shelves. We first introduced this type of coating on our hybrids (item number TR-11-Y601) and have expanded the concept to include fire polished and pressed beads. I did some durability testing and the finish will hold up well under regular use (i.e. don't rinse them in acid or drag them over a concrete floor). Try out our five new styles and keep an eye out for new colors coming soon!
Also check out this week's new additions in HurriCane Glass as well.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Here are few great examples of how well our new Toho SuperNova Hybrids match up to our Czech product line. We've recently added new fire polished and pressed bead styles to our catalog in order to help you bridge the color gap between the two types of beads. We will be adding more complimentary Czech beads to the site as we receive new shipments from the factory.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
These itty-bitty cubes are amazingly detailed with well defined corners and smooth edges. Approximately 60 colors are now available, with an additional 40 colors to be added within the next few weeks. We've put a lot of research into our color selection to ensure that you have the best variety of today's most popular colors and finishes to choose from. Notice how TOHO has managed to maximize the inner thread space of the bead with their signature diamond shaped hole -- even on such a tiny bead! perfect for interlocking stitches as well as intricate geometric patterns. Have fun and experiment with this new size; try taking some of your favorite cube patterns and shrink them down!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
They're finally up -- See all 15 new items in 3 great shapes! These new colors were an experiment from the glass factory and may never be produced again.
http://www.czechbeads.com/Catalog/Products.aspx?s=LECTry out the new curvy leaf shape or go abstract with the vintage styled 17/11mm flat twists. Perfect for Earrings, pendants and other dangles!
Another new addition to our catalog are our 5mm Mini Melons:
Now one of our most popular pressed bead shapes is available miniaturized! Enjoy working with the 8mm Melons? Have fun shrinking down some of your designs to a whole new level. We've got a great selection to start with plenty more to come! In stock now are some of today's most popular colors that coordinate nicely with the larger melons, which have a newly expanded selection as well.
Friday, November 7, 2008
We unexpectedly received our latest ocean container full of beads bright and early this morning! We usually get a heads up from the trucking company but were pleasantly surprised nevertheless. We've been busy digging through the boxes and organizing all the new styles as well as the many restock items. Be sure to watch as we add plenty of new items to our catalog including 5mm & 8mm Melon Rounds, HurriCane Glass, Polished Rectangles, Dagger beads and much much more!
Here are some of the beads I was able to photograph and activate right away. This non-facetted briolette shape is a staff favorite because of the way it amplifies and distorts the colors in the glass. The opaque colored beads are impressive as well because of their natural stone look. The beads in the pictures below are bunched together, but if you take a look at our website stock photos you can see how the colors change with more light shining through their wide surfaces.
To see the rest of the new items we've recently added go to: http://www.czechbeads.com/Catalog/Products.aspx?s=new
Here are some of the beads I was able to photograph and activate right away. This non-facetted briolette shape is a staff favorite because of the way it amplifies and distorts the colors in the glass. The opaque colored beads are impressive as well because of their natural stone look. The beads in the pictures below are bunched together, but if you take a look at our website stock photos you can see how the colors change with more light shining through their wide surfaces.
To see the rest of the new items we've recently added go to: http://www.czechbeads.com/Catalog/Products.aspx?s=new
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Introducing the newest innovation in seed beads
Toho SuperNova Hybrids!
Here at Starman, Inc. we pride ourselves in bringing you the best of both bead worlds, Czech glass and Japanese seed beads. Now we've combined the two greatest names in the bead industry to bring you the latest technologies in color, quality and variety.Toho manufactures the most uniform, wide-holed glass seed bead shapes you can buy, but beaders are always on the lookout for more color variety. Many people enjoy the color selection of Czech seed beads, but are fed up with the amount of unusable beads per hank. Our factory in the Czech Republic is the leader of finish technology throughout the region. It takes a village to manufacture a bead from start to finish and it's quite possible that most of your own stash from Czech Republic that has been treated with luster, picasso, or metallic finishes have passed through our factory doors. Toho hybrids bridge the gap between Czech and Japanese seed beads by giving you quality beads with a sought after color palette. Now you can easily match your seed bead components to your fire polished, pressed and table cut beads without sacrificing quality! Stay tuned for more examples of how these beads compare to our most popular Czech beads.
90 colors to choose from! Since the manufacturing process takes longer than traditional Toho beads supplies are limited and outages are expected to occur. Stock up while you can and be one of the first vendors to offer the latest addition to the Toho product line -- SuperNova Hybrids!
Metallic Amethyst Comparison
Apollo Comparison
View our selection here: http://www.czechbeads.com/Catalog/Products.aspx?s=hybrid
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Coming Soon! Here's a sneak peak of some of the fancy colors about to appear on czechbeads.com!
We're adding 15 new beads in an assortment of unique and vintage shapes. The beads are made of glass cane that is no longer manufactured by the Czech glass factory.
Keep an eye out for these new items. You won't want to miss them! Supplies are extremely limited and cannot be reproduced!
Check our new items page to see what's been recently added: http://www.czechbeads.com/Catalog/Products.aspx?s=new
Each batch of glass varies slightly from the next, and some colors look completely different in cane form than when they are reheated and pressed into beads. The glass factory presses a small amout of each batch as a sample for customers to use for color matching. You can see on the above sample how the striped pattern changes depending on how the bead is pressed. We never know how a bead batch will turn out until it arrives on our doorstep! The real fun is trying to find the right shape to compliment the natural color swirls of the glass.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Although manufacturing technologies are constantly improving, the true art of glass making is still reliant on the knowledge and skills of the glassmaker's themselves. Many fascinating colors have been discontinued over the years because their recipes have been lost; mostly due to talented people leaving the industry, or sadly even death. Relatives still living in the glass making regions of Bohemia often tell avid vintage bead collectors of their families history in the area, including how war and communism effected the production, variety, and availability of some beads.The Czech glass industry has a rich history that spans multiple generations. The quality and variety produced throughout the years continues to be unmatched by any other country.
There are multiple bead manufacturers throughout Bohemia ranging from small, independent cottage workers, to large, full service factories. Regardless of size, each company complies with the industry standard numbering system, which categorizes the shape, size, glass cane color, and finish of each and every bead produced. This helps the companies work together in a seamless manner.
No matter how organized and technologically advanced the industry gets, there are always small changes that are beyond anyone's control. If you've noticed copper lined beads, for example, have become extremely difficult to come by these days. Why? because the one manufacturer that supplied the coating to the the rest of the factories was suddenly unable to reproduce the same quality as before. In this blog I will occasionally note some of the changes we've come across that are simply unavoidable. Sometimes the changes could be temporary; the glass factory makes such large batches that it may take six months before they need to produce more. Sure, it can be frustrating at times, but there is always a chance that the latest batch will turn out even better than before. In any case, the odd colored beads make for a great addition to any bead collector's stash!
Below is a picture of one of the latest changes to our catalog. "Strawberries and Creme" is now being described as "Peaches and Creme".
We never know how a bead batch turns out until it shows up on our doorstep. The strawberry version is a relatively recent addition to our catalog and we've carried it in many styles. As new batches have been arriving over the past six months or so, we've had to rename and re-photograph the new beads for accuracy. When will it change back? Nobody knows. If you like one or the other better, make sure you get as much as you can while you can!
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