A trip to the bead store...



Seaworthy by Erica Morris


Today I went to a charming little bead store in Daytona called This and That.  It was a wonderful sunny day for a drive (if a little chilly) and a lovely store, so it was well worth the effort to visit.  Unfortunately, I was once again over-whelmed by the assortment of beads.  However, I did go with a plan!

Last night, I stopped by Barnes and Noble and bought several bead magazines (see, I'm starting to think ahead now!) to get design ideas and see what's hot and what's not.  I found the most BEAUTIFUL necklace and I really want tomake something similar.  Unfortunately, after finding all the stones online and doing a little calculating, this particular necklace will end up costing me approx. $175.00 to use the same stones.  Not in my price-range for one necklace!  But I'm a simple girl and I really don't need the large Peruvian opal nuggets and really, how much of a difference is Thia silver going to make as compared to regular or silver plate, since this is for me anyway?  For that matter, I actually like the way pewter looks:-)

I decided to search for similar, but more economical stones and pendants/beads to see what I could come up with.  Well, it wasn't easy!  First, there are SO many different semi-precious gemstones that are similar to Peruvian opals that it's hard to make a decision.  Especially when the sales clerk is trying to explain the pros and cons of each one...at the same time!  It was impossible to decide on the gems, so I'm going to have to do a search and order on-line...when I'm alone.  That way there's no one standing over my shoulder saying "Are you certain you want to go that direction?  It's not the same color."  OK, really, is there ever going to be a "color" to match those opals exactly?  No.  I'll find something that I like; something that suits me and get on with life, thank you very much.

Now we're onto the Thai silver (or I should say the super expensive Thai silver that I'm not buying!).  I decided that I really like the sea-creature charmes, but wanted to find them in a slightly smaller size and I really do like the pewter ones.  Well, I'll have to order those on-line also, since the poor sales clerk almost suffered apopolexy  at the thought of actually using pewter instead of silver on such a lovely necklace.  I guess I'll be ordering the pendants and extra beads on-line also now~lol

I've decided that the best way to shop is to find the beads/stones I want on-line and write down the prices and where the best deals can be found.  Then, armed with what I know I'll then head into the stores.  I also plan on only carrying the photos and not the materials list since I obviously want to make my own decisions on the colors, shapes, sizes, etc. of the beads, stones and pendants.  Besides, I don't really want a duplicate of someone else's necklace, I simply wanted a similar style.
Anyway, if you like the necklace above, you can get a copy of the directions at the below link.  I believe that they cost around $3.75.  But beware if you carry the material list to the store with you.  Those sales clerks will try and talk you into the exact opals and silver beads!

http://www.kalmbachstore.com/bspdf040348.html