MiMi and I are now back in the UK, knackered, after non-stop bead buying in China. Many exciting new beads for you!
We concentrated on unusual and large semi-precious beads no one else sells. Lots of matte. Many will appear on the MrBead website during the next weeks.
See us at our first bead fair of 2018 at Harrogate on 24th-25th February. We will be selling the best of our new semi-precious beads there, just arrived in the UK. For details of our shows booked so far this new year click 2018 Bead Fairs.
No minimum order, but can only for used at MrBead.co.uk.
For our bead shop click MrBead.co.uk or Tweet a link to this newsletter to all your followers - just click here.
Content: Then save to your Desktop so you can easily find it. This planner will help you organize your beading projects and craft fairs in 2018. Print it out and write your schedule and bookings in the date boxes. In green is the gemstone of the month to help you plan ahead.
The planner comes in PDF format which is the most popular for e-books because it can be read using ANY computer or operating system. Over 99% of computers have a PDF reader installed, but if you need one the Abode Reader is free here.
The answer is labour. The most expensive part of any product is the labor that goes into it, not just the time of the factory workers but of all the other people involved.
Four or five middlemen may handle your beads between the factory and you: the manufacturer, the exporter, the importer, the wholesaler, the retailer, and two or three shippers. Each middleman has labor costs. Transportation and storage don’t come cheap.
At MrBead your beads are brought in a large Chinese city from a wholesaler who buys them from another wholesaler in the outskirts who gets them from the factory.
They then go by truck to the port where they’re packed in a container to Felixstowe in the UK.
From there they’re collected by van to be resorted and repacked before mailing to you. Sounds like a lot of work, and it is!
Out of a bead merchants stock, only a few types of beads sell well, the rest gather dust taking years to recover their costs. Other beads get lost, damaged, or go out of style quickly. And often the merchant can’t restock his top sellers because the wholesalers have run out too.
Then there’s the cost of retailing. Shop rents and taxes are crippling, occurring throughout the off season and holidays. Online selling is cheaper, but a web store with out visitors is useless.
Hits cost money. Marketing and advertising is a substantial cost of your beads. That’s before the expense of getting paid. Paypay and credit cards are expensive.
Agate Coral Garnet Jade Jasper Lapis Lazuli Moonstone Onyx Pearl Turquoise Quartz & Crystal Calsilica Rainflower Viewing Stone Carnelian Tiger Eye Flourite Hematite To find any of these semi-precious beads in our shop click MrBead.co.uk or MrBead.com.
The planner comes in PDF format which is the most popular for e-books because it can be read using ANY computer or operating system. Over 99% of computers have a PDF reader installed, but if you need one the Abode Reader is free here.
See our beads at MrBead.co.uk or MrBead.com
April 2018 is the 13th full year of the MrBead newsletters, and I thank you all for such enthusiastic comments and appreciation. To see the past newsletters click here.
To see all the original old newsletters click here. See all our newley listed beads at MrBead.co.uk or MrBead.com.
To see all What's New in our US store click MrBead.com or UK MrBead.co.uk To go to the US MrBead store click MrBead.com.
Or our UK shop at MrBead.co.ukFollow Us On Twitter
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What's a Fair Price For Beads?
Semi-Precious Stone Properties
Free A4 Stone Properties Downlaod
New Beads
Free 2018 Bead Planner
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2018 MONTHLY BEAD PLANNER
To download your free 2018 bead planner in PDF format click: 2018 Beading Planner
WHAT’S A FAIR PRICE FOR BEADS?
What are beads worth? On eBay, most buyers are looking for a bargain, but what’s a fair price?
Machine-made bead are extremely cheap to manufacture. Especially when most are made in low-income countries too. So why do beads cost so much at retail?
SEMI-PRECIOUS STONE PROPERTIES
Amethyst
Amethyst belongs to the quartz family and the purple colour is due to traces of iron.
A powerful stone, a symbol of sincerity, security, and peace of mind.
It protects, reduces negativity and brings spirituality – hence the name “Pope Stone”.
Agate was valued as a powerful talisman in ancient time. Thought to protect from stress and bad dreams. Wear agate when you have to make an important decision. It is also considered to heal, improve relationships, and especially protective for children.
Coral is a product of marine life.
Thought to be a strong talisman against evil spirits and hurricanes.
It is also said to reduce blood flow, helping anaemia, and giving wisdom.
Garnet is very hard and resistant to wear and tear. January’s birthstone. Travelers’ wore garnets as they were considered protective, because it was believed garnets illuminate the night and wore off evil.
For 5,000 years jade is precious in Imperial China.
Because it is said to have all the attributes most valued.
Delicate, but will not break, is beautiful, but not impermanent – it can be flawed, but still pleasing. Thought to radiate unconditional.
Jasper is a crystalline variety of quartz with foreign material giving colour, stripes or spots. Being healing and balancing, it was used to relieve pain, sooth the nerves and clear the mind.
Lapis is straight out of the Arabian Nights: deepest blue with golden Pyrite inclusions sparkling like stars. Worshipped as a holy stone and thought to have magical power. For wisdom, love, and psychic ability.
Bringing harmony to relationships.
The distinctive shimmering affect is caused by the way the stone reflects light. A feminine stone for the inner-child, female issues and nurturing, bringing confidence and calming emotions. Today, opalite glass produces the same effect for less.
Onyx is regarded as protective. A stone of discord, worn to cool the ardors of love, balancing the mind and emotions. However, it does improve concentration and devotion, aiding confidence and useful for people under stress.
The least expensive cultured pearls today rival the most expensive natural pearls ever found. Freshwater pearls occur in mussels for the same reason saltwater pearls occur in oysters.
Foreign material inside a mussel can’t be expelled.
Turquoise is formed by volcanic rock reacting to copper brought by water.
Turquoise has been found in 5,000-year-old Egyptian tombs. It protects from danger and attracts wealth.
Gemstone for December.
The atomic structure gives crystal its magical powers, that are as apparent in computers as they are to new agers. The ancients used it to strengthen the sun’s rays and bring positive energy.
Crystals can store and amplify any power fed into them – mental, emotional, or spiritual.
Each of these new rainbow stones is unique, making gem dealers they were imported from Mexico in slabs. However, calsilica is pulverized carbonate rock, coloured and stabilized with a polymer. This beautiful material deserves at least the same respect as much-more expensive natural gemstones.
Oriental viewing stones are made to create a feeling of being in a dramatic landscape. Minerals in the rock create the colours. This rainflower is natural agate pulverized and coloured to produce the same effect. Leaving no two beads looking the same.
From the quartz family, carnelian is for confidence. Said to help blood disorders and eliminate toxins. Carnelian tunes with the energies of the Earth, making you feel anchored and comfortable. A stone for new projects and to make the most out of life.
Tiger’s-eye bands of pearly luminescence is light reflecting off its parallel inclusions in the quartz.
Said to prevent hypochondria, build will-power, bring spiritual well-being and psychic protection.
Fluorite brings perceptiveness, peace and calm to a troubled mind. Particularly useful in medication, because holding even a small piece in the hand brings a sense of inner peace.
Considered the most powerful healing stone.
Hematite is a protective stone with grounding and soothing energies, connecting to the Earth to boost self-esteem and relax. Said to be closely tied to the blood due to its iron content.
Aiding the kidneys, speeding tissue regeneration and cleansing the blood.
TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE A4 VERSION OF THIS LIST IN PDF FORMAT CLICK: STONE PROPERTIES
New Beads
See all our latest at: New Beads
2018 MONTHLY BEAD PLANNER
To download your free 2018 bead planner in PDF format click: 2018 Beading Planner
13-YEARS OF MRBEAD NEWSLETTERS
2005 TO 2018
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Nigel's Personal Site
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See our beads at MrBead.co.uk or MrBead.com
To see all old newsletters click here
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