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 Dear All,

 I am new in beading (I started like a month ago), and I am now at the point where I am just using known patterns all over the place, until I can get my own creativity unleashed. Also I am not in the US, so I do not have a quick access to the zillion of beading stores, which makes me carefully choose my materials (quantity, quality, price and transport costs).

 Where I am I can only find cheap low quality Chinese beads, for which the only usage I can think of is stringing them one after the other :-). Or trying to learn to do different stitches. I bought from Firemountaingems.com a whole bunch of Matsuno Dyna-mites and Delica Rocailles, of which I am very very pleased. Fireline is also my best friend, because I could not find any other kind of fishing line that could be successfully used, without getting curly should things go wrong.

 Anyway, when I placed the order, I took some time to decide whether I should order also some Ming Tree seed beads. They come in a large package (like 1/4 lb), and they "seem" to be OK (even though in the pics from the website I can spot some irregularities). I decided to go with the Japanese seed beads (I just have a special place in my heart for all Japanese made stuff, in term or quality and reliability), and I am very happy. But there is a BIG but: I ordered boxes of 35 grams of size 15/0's and 40 grams of 11/0's. Soon, should I create all the things I have in mind, I will run out of beads... Should I order Ming Tree beads? Did you ever work with them?

My experience with Chinese beads (at least with what I found around here, in small packages of 4 grams) is "run like hell"!! So I would really appreciate if you could give me a helping hand in reviewing those beads.  I was not able to find any review; this is why I am looking forward to your feedback. It is very important to me, as I am able to place an order maybe once every 4 or 5 months and I need to know that my money is not spent on waste. Especially because the transport costs are high considering the fact that I am not selling my creations (customs taxes are also one third of the total order...)

Many thanks for helping me out ;). Oh, and if you do know any online store with prices lower than those of Firemountaingems, do not keep it to yourself ;)

 Hugs,

Nedeia

http://picasaweb.google.com/matraguna

P.s. please excuse my English; I am not a native speaker...

 

For beadweaving, I don't think you'll be happy with the Chinese beads. They just aren't as regular as Japanese or Czech beads.

I totally agree with Cindy - I refuse to buy both Indian and Chinese seed beads, no matter how cheap they are - and I have the same situation as you Nedeia. I live in Italy, where beadweaving is still largely unknown, though stringing is very popular over here lately. Bottom line is - no readily available decent seed beads. 

  So....I have no idea where you are, but if you're closer to Europe than North America I can point you in the direction of a few good online suppliers for Japanese seed beads and Delicas. Fireline is harder to find and more expensive with European online suppliers, but similar (Wildfire line) can be found, as well as Nymo and C-Lon also.

 You'll find that it's best to wait until you have 50 - 70 dollars to spend, and buy larger quantities whenever you place an order, building up a selection of beads in different finishes and shades of each color. I never buy less than 20 grams of each color I select, and I always squeeze a pack of beading needles and/or a spool or two of thread in each order so I always have what I need around - still, I keep buying beads even though I have oodles....I always seem to find something I'm still missing

As I am located in Bucharest (where working with beads is not extremely familiar yet), it is hard for me to find a good local supplier. I have today discovered an online shop, with simply huge prices for Delica beads, I swore never to buy from here unless I am in desperate need :-). Shipping from the US costs me about 150 USD, which is a little bit too high. Anyway, transport taxes might be overcome if I place a large order, but the Customs are a living hell :)

 I also tried to find some good shops in France , but the prices still seem to be too high. 

 Speaking about Indian beads... never saw any of them, but I think I'm with you on that one - no offence for the Indian colleagues on this forum :).

So, it seems to me that Chinese beads really need to be forgotten if you want to do bead working. maybe they can be used in hanks , but not for a peyote... and Ming Tree fall into that category... However, I wonder why does FMG sell them, I really saw quality materials on that website.. but then again, business is business, it's not a mistake to sell them, but to buy them :-)

@OriginalSin - I'd be delighted to visit the websites of the Japanese seed beads suppliers ;). and looking forward to find what I need, as my fireline is almost finished and I have some problems with the Silamide (gets tangled too often, so I guess I also need some thread conditioner... ).

Speaking about things I miss... I was so careless and forgot to order black and white beads :-)) now, how blonde is that? :)))

Hi, i also recommend you try Chinese beads. they are of good quality and low price.

Nedeia:

@OriginalSin - I'd be delighted to visit the websites of the Japanese seed beads suppliers ;). and looking forward to find what I need, as my fireline is almost finished and I have some problems with the Silamide (gets tangled too often, so I guess I also need some thread conditioner... ).

Speaking about things I miss... I was so careless and forgot to order black and white beads :-)) now, how blonde is that? :)))

 Hi Nedeia!

How nice, you are in Romania - many of the Eastern European countries have a big tradition in beadwork,especially Russia and Ukraine.

Here are a few links to the suppliers I use the most:

 Perles and Co.in France - huge selection of Swarovskis, an assortment of good beading threads of different types and they also sell Lacy's Stiff Stuff for bead embroidery, great selection of needles, and also Thread Heaven thread conditioner. I avoid buying Delicas and seed beads from them as these are more expensive from here than from my other suppliers, but they have the best prices and selection for Swarovski items. They have free shipping for orders over €50,00 and they always send a small gift with the order: http://www.perlesandco.com/

Bricol'Art in Belgium, I buy most of my Japanese seed beads here (Miyuki), they sell them by the gram so you can buy any amount you want. They sell threads but not as big a selection as Perles and Co. Good selection of C - Lon threads, smaller selection of Nymo: http://www.bricolart.com/Site/VenteCatalogue.php?lg=EN&cid=139

Creatis in France, their English website is called E-Beads and the prices are in British Pounds sterling, but the same equivalent to the Euro prices on their French website. I shop on the Frnech website since I understand French, but am linking you to the English one. You can see the French website by clicking on the French flag at the bottom left of the homepage.They are a bit more expensive than Bricol'Art, but they sell Toho seed beads which are GORGEOUS and come in different colors and finishes from the Miyuki seed beads: http://www.e-beads.co.uk/

 Beadreaming in Germany, not a huge selection of Japanese seed beads but they are the cheapest - prices are for 20 gram packs. They do have a good selection of inexpensive good quality Czech seed beads also, which I like to have on hand. The best manufacturers of Czech seed beads, in case you don't know, are Ornella and Jablonex. http://www.beadreaming.de/shopeng/start.htm

Miraperla in Germany, here is the best place to order Delicas, the prices are for 10 grams and they are the best to be found in European online suppliers, to my knowledge. I don't buy Delicas from ANY of the other suppliers listed above unless they are on sale - the prices here can't be beat. They have a small selection of Nymo thread and Dandyline, the equivalent of Fireline. EXCELLENT prices also on the Czech Jablonex seed beads, though the selection is not very big. You can also find authentic Murano glass beads here, one of the few places where they are authentic and not imitation. They're a bit expensive but absolutely gorgeous. Great selection of tools, containers and displays, fantastic metal plated and raku Greek ceramic beads also :http://www.miraperla.com/

Note - The navigation on Miraperla can be a bit confusing, use the menu on the left to navigate the categories. Also note that Czech seed beads are slightly different from Japanese seed beads - the Czechs have smaller holes and are "shorter" than the Japanese, a bit more squashed and less cylindrical in shape. In many types of projects you can't mix Czech seed beads with Japanese because of this. A size 11 Czech is the same as a size 11 Japanese seed bead, but the shape difference makes them less interchangeable in a single project, depending on what you're making.

I buy findings from all of the above websites, but Perles and Co. has the best selection and all of good quality.

To answer your question about FMG selling Ming Tree beads - they stock items for everybody's pockets - almost everything they sell is stocked in different qualities and at different prices to be accessible to all. Ming Tree might not be good for serious beadweaving, but they're great for stringing projects, French flower making, kids projects, can be used for learning, can be used for "recreational beading" just for fun, could probably be used well in bead embroidery and for sculpture work also.

I hope that helps! I've been beading for a few years now and I do continuous searching for new European suppliers - I listed for you the best of what I have, which are the places where I normally do my own shopping :)

Have a nice day!

Andréa

Dear Andrea, Thank you so very much for the wealth of information provided :-). I will check each of the suppliers, maybe there's something in there for me :) So far I only worked with Matsuno (they came from FMG in nice 35 grams boxes - the 15/0 and 40 grams the 11/0's and I am extremely pleased , they really do the job). About the Jablonex beads, I might try them one day, but as you said, my biggest fear is that they are too oval for my taste and I am a bit concerned how they will look on Peyote or brick stich, which I love. If you have any peyote or brich stich projects made with Jablonex beads, please send me the links ;) Thanks again and hugs! Nedeia

You're most welcome! So happy to be able to help out somebody who is in my same situation as far as buying supplies is concerned!

If you are doing peyote the best beads are cylinder beads, which are Delicas and Toho's. These are a little more expensive then Ming Treet, but they are precision cut so your peyote pattern will fit together smoothly, providing you keep good tension.  You can do peyote with other beads but if you want that even woven fit, look and feel then you want either of these two.  It depends on what your piece is.  Fire Mountain Gems has a large selection and you can get the quantity discount.  Another site that has a very large supply of Delicas is Knot Just Beads.  I don't know if you can get them overseas or not, ( I'm in the US). But if you get Bead and Button Magazine look at the ads and try some of them.

 Good luck, peyote is my favorite.  It's like meditating to me.