Beads City: April 2008

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Types of gemstones

There are so many types of gemstones out there. They are mainly divided into 2 categories of semi-precious and precious gemstones. Here, we share with you some of the common gemstones that we often see from both categories. We hope this helps you in your selection of beads.

Diamond
Diamonds are really in a class of its own.  It is the hardest naturally occurring substance ever known and they are crystals that were fused under extremes of pressure and heat. Its size is categorized by "carat" and large diamonds of high quality are extremely rare.

Quartz
Quartz is one of the most common types of mineral around and it comes in a wide selection of colors. An example of a common quartz is rose quartz, which is of a cloudy translucent pink or slightly peach color.  Smoky quartz on the other hand. tends to be in dark colour, close to black.

Ruby
Ruby is the queen of gems with deep red ruby being the rarest and most valuable.

Turquoise
This stone ranges in color from blue to green to yellow.  It is normally filled with intricate patterns of brown and black matrix which are mainly copper deposits.

Jade
There are many types of jades around. While most people identify it by its green shades, there's also white jade. Jade may be either nephrite or jadeite, with most jadeite coming from Burma.  There's also the "new jade" serpentine beads.

Amethyst
This stone is usually found in a variety of shades from lavender to a deep purple. It is usually associated with royalty and goes well with black or pink beads.

Amber
Amber is usually a transparent yellow to a maple-syrup color, but can also appear red.

Citrine
Its name is derived from the word citrus because of its pale yellow color. Natural citrine is rare.

Garnet
A rich, deep red gemstone.

Types of beads

Bali Beads
Bali beads are usually made out of silver or sterling silver. They are often used as spacers when making jewelry.

Faux natural beads
These are often imitations designed to look like a more expensive original material, especially pearls and gemstones. Precious metals and ivory can also be imitated.

Fire-polished beads
Many of such fire-polished beads are glass beads made in the Czech Republic, hence the term "Czech beads". They are faceted by machines and have a shiny look after the beads are cooled from its molten form in the oven. Such method of "polishing"results in a reasonably attractive bead.

Lampwork beads
Lampwork beads are handmade by using a torch to heat a rod of glass and spinning the resulting thread around a metal rod covered in bead release. The hot glass is carefully wrapped around a coated wire, which, when removed, forms the hole of the bead. Once the base bead is formed, other colors and layers of glass can be added to its surface to create additional designs.

Lead crystal beads
Lead crystal beads are machine-cut crystal beads with hi-tech precision. Outstanding geometry and excellent optical parameters can be achieved with this method of cutting. Many lead crystal beads are also enhanced with surface coatings. An example is Aurora Borealis, or AB, which diffuses light into a rainbow. Swarovski crystals are also highly regarded due to their clarity and sparkle.

Cat's Eye Glass reflects light in a way reminiscent of a cats eye.

Cloisonné Enamel
This type of beads has surface decorations set in hollows formed by strips of wire welded to a metal plate.

Rhinestone
They are generally colorless potash-and-lead glass that contains quartz in the form of melted lead crystal and is cut like a diamond. Also known as diamante and are available in different colours.

Semiprecious Stones
They are natural stones that generally have a lower value than precious stones. Some examples of such stones are amethyst, garnet, opal, rose quartz.

Pearls
Pearls can be saltwater or freshwater cultured pearls which are made into beads. Natural pearls are usually pink peach or mauve in colour whilst white pearls are usually an off white or creamy colour. There are also faux pearls which are actually glass beads with a pearl-like coating. These glass pearls are also available in many colours.

Click here to view our beads.

Caring for your handmade jewellery and accessories

How to care for your accessories? Here are 3 basic rules:)

Rule #1
- Always wear your accessories last after your make-up and perfume.
- This is to protect them from contact with the chemicals and prolong their shine.

Rule #2
- Handle them with TLC(tender loving care)

Rule #3
- Always keep them in jewellery boxes or ziplocks when not in use. Leaving them out in the air quickens any oxidation process that might take place.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

BC0019 - Assorted colours glass pearls

Dimensions: 8mm

16 inch strand at $2.50
Available - 0(Coming back soon)

BC0018 - Medium dark grey pearl drop

Dimensions: 17mm by 8mm

Per pack of 12 pieces at $2.50
Available - 3 packs left

BC0017 - Medium pink glass pearl drop

Dimensions: 17mm by 8mm

Per pack of 12 pieces at $2.50
Available - 3 packs left

BC0016 - Turquoise-blue glass pearls

Dimensions: 8mm

16 inch strand at $2.50
Available - 0(Coming back soon!)

BC0015 - Round matt-pink beads

Dimensions: 8mm

Per pack of 10 at $1.50
Per pack of 50 at $6.50

Available - 3 packs left

B0014 - Multi-coloured faceted ovals

Dimensions: 11mm by 8mm

Per pack of 1 pair at $0.90
Per pack of any 4 pairs at $3.00

Available - 2 pairs per colour left

BC0013 - Light-rose faceted Czech beads(6mm)

Dimensions: 6mm

Per pack of 10 at $1.00

Available - 3 packs left

BC0012 - Round pink glass bead

Dimensions: 12mm

Per pack of 5 at $3.50
Per pack of 10 at $6

Available - 1 pack of 10 left

BC0011 - 2-toned(purplish-red and blue) faceted Czech beads

Dimensions: 8mm

Per pack of 10 at $1.50

Available - 5 packs left

Order and Payment Information

1. All prices are in nett unless otherwise stated.

2. To order, kindly email us at beadscity@gmail.com the following:
-Your name;
-Contact number;
-Item code; and
-Address(for postage).

3. Buyers will receive a confirmation email in return from us and should proceed to make payment.

Orders will be considered cancelled if buyers do not reply/make transfer 3 days after the confirmation email is sent.

4. Payments are to be made thru POSB bank transfer.

5. Beads will be sent out the next working day after we have received the payment.

6. Postage is free for 2 items and above except for heavy packages, depending on the type of beads ordered. Buyers will be advised of this in the confirmation email.

Click here to select the beads you want now!!