Today I am talking about buying beads that come in various sizes on one strand.  You must be able to calculate price per bead while standing in a shop.  Horrors!

 

Math is my worst nightmare. I eyeball a strand and do the right thing…I negotiate.  If I am able to buy for my price, I’m happy. Somehow, I just know I bought well.

 

Now I have this strand as you can see in my photo.  It shows the various sizes on the strand.  This stone is called Labradorite.  Bead count tells me price per bead.  I can handle this.

 

We won’t talk about that…I still use my fingers for counting.  Now sizes have to be matched up.  If you plan on making a piece of jewelry where beads are graduated, you want from center (then left and right) up to clasp, identical size stones each side.

 

Earrings are a perfect example of stones having to be identical size.  For beginners, this is a good way to start.  I find I am always matching stone sizes, even now.  Helter Skelter, mixing sizes comes later.

 

I learned after a few months to buy more then one strand of the same beads.  Three strands maximize the usage for pairing up.  Pairs go into small bags or I restring the strand with the match pairs for future use.

 

This is just a tidbit so that you can understand there is work to be done before I can get started on a project

 

Quality.  A tray full of what type of bead I am looking for is shown.  I look for best color, no chips and all around perfect strands.  It’s essential in my jewelry.

 

There is a lot of effort behind that one piece.  I love it!  For me it’s exciting.