As in any industry, nearly ALL beading components have a "high end deluxe version" and a "low end cheap version" or "knock off". Depending on what you are trying to achieve when you create with beads, this may make a difference for your choice of materials. If you want to create beautiful jewelry that will be long lasting or you want to make jewelry to sell to other people ~ then you may want to steer clear of knock offs. If you are a recreation beader you may still want to take the time to read my guides as they will help you make informed decisions about the materials you spend your money on and give you an idea of what you can expect from many bead related products. I hope to help you save time and money ~ I myself have purchased materials that I could not even use because of quality issues. I have owned a bead store since 1994.

Some of the products that have well known knock offs or "cheap" versions are:
Fine Gemstone & Pearl beads
Natural Semiprecious Stone beads
Miracle beads
Crystal beads
Bugle beads
Glass Pearls
Seed beads
Handmade Lampwork beads
Cloisonne beads
Metal Castings and Cast beads
Czech Glass beads
Spacer beads
Stringing Wire
Stringing Thread
Crimping beads
ALL jewelry findings and tools

There is no shortage of people out there trying to sell you CHEAP beads! As a retail bead store owner I have found that one of the hardest things in this industry is public education about what "the best" materials are to create beaded jewelry! My guides will attempt to help you avoid wasting your time and money on supplies that are doomed to fail in your JEWELRY applications.

I want to start by steering you to the BEST book on beading you can buy! This book has all the information you need to get started and advance to a higher level. It may truly be the ONLY book on beading you will ever need! It's called "The Basics of Bead Stringing". It includes info on materials, design technique and tools.




Happy beading ~ look for more tips on materials in the future.