Cheap Jewelry Beads and Supplies

Cheap Jewelry Supplies? Not for me.
This last year, I had been steadily turning my nose up at the cheap jewelry supplies and beads. I only wanted the "real" things. And I thought my customers would too.

But it was not until late in the year when I finally turned back to actually making jewelry and stuff again that I realized the value of those cheap (aka economy) supplies.

Cheap Does Not Mean Low Quality
First of all, in jewelry making and in most of the field of creative crafts, there is always something new to learn. And endless experimentation. You have an idea in your head? It sometimes takes multiple tries for the realized product to be anywhere near what was conceptualized in the mind.

And as I got back into making things, I quickly realized that it was very costly and impractical to be using expensive supplies like Swarovski beads and findings, sterling sliver and good pieces. What I really needed was good but economical supplies that would inject a sense of freedom (from the worry of the cost of supplies) while I learnt new techniques and experimented in various ideas.

And I am glad I got this lesson. Because as I got back into obtaining more economical goods, I was also surprised by the changes in this area during the time that I had been "away".

The newest looks and innovative offerings in beads and findings and notions always seem to appear first in the economical range. And they continue to innovate with a pleasing and astounding rate. And the quality of many of these items have actually gotten much better since I last looked into it.

Best of Both Worlds
So now, as far as my craft and jewelry supplies store is concerned, I will try and cater both the higher end and the economical range of supplies. The latter will be fully vetted - I will only get supplies that I myself would be happy to use, that are quality goods but offer a huge savings over the higher end stock.

I myself will continue to use both ends of the spectrum as obviously they do meet different requirements. And last but not least, I hope that it will be of help to my customers - many of them jewelry and craft makers themselves - as it could also free them up from the worry of high costs - especially while they are testing out new techniques and creative ideas.