Blog for Beaders

Our team has returned from their trip to the Southwest, but they couldn’t leave without finding a few more treasures to bring back with them. From gemstones and Swarovski crystals, to copper and hand-painted porcelain, our team saw it all!

You can see some of the beauty, innovation and excitement they experienced below. Continue to check our website, as many of these amazing Tucson treasures will be available soon.

Valentine’s Day is only a week away! Do you need to make a last minute gift, or do you need something special to wear that day? Artbeads.com has great jewelry design ideas and fun beads and charms that will make anyone a romantic for a day.

Whether you’re looking to create a simple pair of earrings, a bold necklace or a stunning bracelet, we’ve got some great ideas for you. Simply visit our Learning Center and follow our step-by-step instructions exactly, or just use them for inspiration to create your own stunning designs.

The CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements Spring 2010 Innovations will be here soon. Here is a sneak peak of the exciting new additions from this world renowned crystal maker.

The latest edition of Swarovski Innovations sparkle with optimism and give designers a palette from which to create creations filled with joy.

NEW PRODUCTS & COLORS:

FUSION CONCEPTS
Ceramics

Following last season’s Crystal Mosaics come “Ceramics”, a unique selection of loose ceramics as flat backs, sew-on stones, fancy stones, beads and pendants that draw on the natural beauty of fired earth. Available in colors including marbled black, marbled blue, marbled ivory and marbled yellow, these latest innovations are the first to offer fully cut ceramics as a creative material. Completely opaque, their highly polished finish produces subtle reflections, while the textural crackle effect creates individual, discreetly elegant pieces. Tough and scratch-resistant, they open up new functional design possibilities, such as key-ring accessories and extra-narrow bead fixings.

FERN GREEN
New Color: 291

In line with the desire to lead a more organic way of life, Fern Green reflects nature’s soothing embrace. A forest floor of soft ferns, a meadow shimmering in morning dew – this new shade of green embodies luscious tranquility in a variety of cuts, shapes and sizes.

PROVENCE LAVENDER
New Color: 284

Redolent of sunny, fragrant hillsides in Southern France, Provence Lavender hints at the unconventional and extraordinary. This pale violet hue with a touch of blue, perfectly complements other CRYSTALLIZED™ lilac colors.

WHITE OPAL
Extension on big sizes (234)

Underlining the trend for pale shades and opal colors, CRYSTALLIZED™
– Swarovski Elements has extended its range of existing White Opal Crystal Stones to include large sizes in fancy stones, beads and pendants.

CRYSTAL LAVENDER PEARL
New article: 001 524

The ultimate in luxury, Crystal Lavender Pearl combines glamorous refinement with elegant understatement. Its smooth, shimmering tone offers a look that is both timeless and contemporary.

CHESSBOARD CIRCLE FLAT BACK NO HOTFIX & HOTFIX
Size extension: 2035

The Chessboard Circle Flat Back is characterized by its highly brilliant cut and sophisticated look. It features size extensions of the existing Chessboard Circle Flat Back assortment with three smaller sizes and adds the crystal red magma effect.

WING FLAT BACK NO HOTFIX AND HOTFIX
New article: 2770

The Wing Flat Back is part of a product-spanning theme, featuring CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements distinct design language and represented in Fancy Stones, Beads and Pendants. It enlarges the No Hotfix assortment with a trapezium shape. The Wing Flat Back is characterized by its geometric form and features a highly brilliant cut that draws inspiration from a wing.

COSMIC SQUARE RING
New article: 4437

The Cosmic Square Ring is a new member of the successful Cosmic Ring family. It offers an equal effect and size assortment as per other Cosmic Rings, allowing for the perfect combination. A definite all-rounder, it is a must-have for versatile application. A playful organic shape with irregular cuts, it adds brilliance and sparkling accents to contemporary designs. The artistic, abstract design makes it perfect for contemporary creations.

CALYPSO FANCY STONE
New article: 4760

New design direction: organic shapes inspired by nature. Reminiscent of a mysterious insect carapace with a sculptural and very tactile body and shape, it is created for progressive and futuristic designs.

WING FANCY STONE
New Article: 4790

The Wing Fancy Stone belongs to the Wing family (flat back, bead and pendant). With its asymmetrical shape, refined faceting and a romantic, fairy-like appearance it perfectly represents the Modern Art Nouveau look.

SQUARE BEAD DOUBLE HOLE
New article: 5180

The innovative Square Bead Double Hole belongs to the “modular shapes” family. Featuring two parallel holes and an outer shape which invites innovative designs, it offers a vast array of combination possibilities.

ARTEMIS BEAD
New article: 5540

The Artemis Bead is a modern interpretation of a spacer bead. Its conical shape with a beveled hole makes it ideal for combination with round elements.

WING BEAD
New article: 5590

The Wing Bead belongs to the Wing family (flat back, fancy stone and pendant). With its romantic, organic shape and refined faceting it fits perfectly into themModern art nouveau look.

CUBIST BEAD
Line extension: 5650

This is the large-size line extension of one of our best selling beads, emulating an ice sculpture in crystal. The extraordinary large-sized geometric shape with strong lines and straight facets reflects the cubism period.

CRYSTAL BAROQUE PEARL
New article: 5840

A unique asymmetrical shape that perfectly complements the trend towards organic shapes, the Crystal Baroque Pearl showcases wonderful effects and smooth light reflections. A new shape that implies a strong and futuristic mood.

XILION HEART PENDANT
XILION upgrade: 6228

The sophisticated XILION cut results in unrivaled brilliance. Complex faceting imitates the look and luminosity of a multi-layered cut, which clearly differentiates the XILION cut from all competitor products on the market. The XILION cut by Swarovski is patent-protected.

WING PENDANT
New article: 6690

The Wing Pendant belongs to the Wing family (fancy stone, bead and flat back). With its romantic, organic shape and refined faceting, it fits perfectly into the modern art nouveau look.

CRYSTAL ROCKS
New article: 72 000 – 72 010

Crystal Rocks is an eye-catching, luxurious and innovative new design element and stands for an entirely new and modern look that is fortified by the use of double-pointed Chatons. This brand new product is offered with a special motif service. Available in various colors and effects.

CRYSTALTEX CHATON BANDINGS
New article: 62 030

Small XILION Chatons transform this new product into an exciting, luxurious and unique fashion statement. XILION Chatons offer the highest brilliance and are a copyright-protected cut.

FILIGREE
New article: 62026

The antique-inspired look allows a traditional product to appear in an entirely new fashion whilst combining perfectly with other beads, crystal pearls, pendants, cupchains & findings.

FILIGREE
New article: 62027

The antique/vintage look allows a traditional product to appear in an entirely new fashion while combining perfectly with other beads, crystal pearls, pendants, cupchains & findings.

CUPCHAINS & FINDINGS/ROUNDELLES
New article: 77503

The smallest roundelle is now available in a 3 mm size. It fits perfectly with other 3 mm beads and crystal pearls such as 5000, 5015, 5328 and 5810. The antique/vintage look allows a traditional product to appear in an entirely new fashion.

Keep checking back for more information on these exciting new additions to the CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements line, and to see when Artbeads.com will have these items available for you to add to your jewelry designs.

For one week only save 15% on select gold, silver and bronze items. The Medal Mania Sale is your opportunity to stock up on precious metal components from gold spacer beads and sterling silver chain to bronze pendants and Hill Tribe silver toggles. Take advantage of these savings by entering coupon code SCW15P-MMS at checkout. Hurry! This sale ends at 9am (PST) on Thursday, February 11, 2010.

The Artbeads.com team is still in Tucson. They’re taking classes, meeting with vendors and yesterday they even got to check out some amazing rocks and fossils.

Tucson isn’t just about beads. There is also a large collection of gem, mineral and fossil shows. Yesterday, some of our team decided to check out the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) Gem Fair. What they found was a collection of dinosaur eggs, fossils, geodes and even some magic gumballs!

Here are just a few of their fantastic finds:

Remember to check back for more updates from Tucson as our team continues to visit more shows, meet new artists and, most importantly, find exciting new products for you!

With the increasing amount of tragedy, hunger, sickness and devastation seen lately at both local and global scales, Artbeads.com recognizes that we can help make a difference and continues to dedicate a percentage of our profits to help our community. For every order that is placed, Artbeads.com will make a contribution to one of our favorite charities. With the significant number of orders placed every day, these donations quickly add up, and we are confident our increased efforts will continue to benefit many of our neighbors, both near and far.

For a list of charitable organizations to which Artbeads.com makes contributions, or to find more information, please click here.

Some of the Artbeads.com team members decided to hit the road this week and leave behind the rainy skies of the Seattle area for sunny Tucson in order to visit the biggest bead show in the USA. This premier bead show is a must see for anyone in the business of making jewelry or other artistic creations that include beads, gems, minerals or fossils.

While in Tucson, our team is scoping out the latest trends in jewelry making and beading as well as new designers and artisans. You’re sure to see some of their more exciting finds on our website in the near future.

Here is a sneak preview of what they’ve seen so far.

Are you having trouble picturing exactly how big this event really is? This is just one of the many large tents that comprise the Tucson Bead Show.

Here, some of the members of the Artbeads.com team are having fun visiting with representatives from TierraCast® and learning all about their new Viva Mexicana!™ line of products.

Can you believe this amazing display of Toho™ seed beads?

This table of artisan lampwork beads was a delight to the eyes, with its wide array of colors and shapes.

The Beadalon® booth was another favorite of the Artbeads.com team members.

For more information on the Tucson bead show, click here

Stay tuned for more exciting updates from Tucson in the upcoming week.

Shop the 48-Hour Gemstone Sale to enjoy great savings on dozens of high-quality gemstone strands ranging from Botswana agate ovals to amethyst chips. You’ll love to incorporate the natural beauty of these gorgeous stones in your designs. These gemstones are available in extremely limited quantities and may never be available on our website again, so shop now before it’s too late! Shop now as items cannot be backordered! The Sweetheart Sale ends at 9am (PST) on Thursday, February 4, 2010.

The Sweetheart Sale has been extended 48 hours, giving you an extra chance to save big on Artbeads.com’s entire stock of high quality jewelry supplies and components. Shop the Sweetheart Sale to save 15% on all orders of $60 or more storewide. With this fantastic discount, there is no better time to stock up on everything you will need for Valentine’s Day! To receive these savings, enter coupon code SCW15P-SHS at checkout. Shop now as items cannot be backordered! The Sweetheart Sale ends at 9am (PST) on Thursday, February 4, 2010.

Our email newsletter subscribers receive a 20% discount with the Sweetheart Sale. Sign up today to start saving!

Learn how to make a fun photo stand using Metallite™ beads and seed beads with our new handy tip video. Each vintage-inspired stand can be customized to accent the photo you’ll be placing on top, and they would even make stunning place card holders for an elegant dinner party.

For other Handy Tip Videos, please visit our Learning Center.