Hi,

I am new to beading. I would like to start with making earrings for my girls using base metal or pewter findings or even silver or brass. We live in Phoenix, AZ

- Price is a consideration.
- No lead.
- Coating should not wear off.

1. Can someone suggest a place where I can buy Duchess Ear Posts, not a fan of ear wires? Also I am looking for charms & findings, bead caps etc.

2. Where can I buy assortment of cubic Ziconia, Bicone Crystals & Crystal Tear Drops.

 I am thinking of something like http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-26179266651112_2010_148724149

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-26179266651112_2015_127678.

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-26179266651112_2010_116321966

Hope these are not very difficult to handle for a newbie.

Hi,

I tried to locate the website where you linked your ideas from and I was not able to go to their home page. I thought that a little unusual.

In any event, the components used in the earrings are TierraCast which are great lead-free pewter components. Lytha Studios has a great selection of TierraCast items. Once you're at the Lytha Studios site, click on 123Beads for the bead store.  ArtBeads also has a selection but not as good as Lytha Studios.

The designs are not difficult once you learn how to make simple loops and wrapped loops. You can find info on this forum and on the BeadStyle forum on how to do these things. The best way to learn is to take a class at a local bead shop near you.

Anybody else?

Any good resources for Silver Findings? The Findings need not be identical as in the pictures. They are just examples since I am not familiar with the terminology.

Incidentally these pictures are from one of the sites that carry TierraCast findings.

 Other forum members who carry TierraCast findings include MimisGems, Rings & Things and AZ Bead Depot in Apache Junction, AZ.

TierraCast findings are lead free. I should mention that my RIngs & Things site lists the California lead classification for nearly every item on our web site.

You ask for findings where "Coating should not wear off.." Unfortunatly, all plated goods will , with time and abrasion from use, lose the plated finish. Better quality platings last longer but ultamately, they will not looks as good as they did when new.

Since you are in Phoenix, AZ Bead Depot is relatively nearby.  They also have sterling silver findings as do RIngs & Things and Halstead beads.

Russ Nobbs:

Since you are in Phoenix, AZ Bead Depot is relatively nearby. 

This store is about 60 miles from where we live & does even have a decent website to see a sample of what they carry.

Any other stores in Phoenix area for Silver Findings?

 Distance is all relative. After all. Rings & Things drives our big truck full of beads 1000's of miles to bring our shows to you.  I fly to Asia a couple of times a year to buy beads. Folks in Montana and Eastern Washington drive 100 miles to hear music or visit a bead or craft show.  But I understand that folks in big cities or on the east coast don't drive nearly as far as some of us in WA and MT.

How about Halstead bead in Prescott, AZ? They are known for silver. Is that closer? They DO have a website but I'm not sure how much TierraCast they carry.
Edited to add Halstead web site overlooked when I first posted..

Here's a list of AZ BEAD STORES so you can pick others that are closer to you.

Where can I buy assortment of cubic Zirconia, Bicone Crystals & Crystal Tear Drops?

Sometime ago I had seen some website selling packets of Swarovski Crystal Beads in assorted colors & sizes. I can't seem to find my bookmark.

The Best place to buy all your beads and supplies is D & I Beads in Peoria, Arizona www.dibeads.com I just tried there new diy Stretch cord and it is better then any stretch cord that I have ever used.

Meg

Unfortunately  D & I Beads does not have a 3mm Bicones nor they carry different shapes like tear or heart shaped. Even their color range was limited at their store.

 Back to your original questions:

1. Can someone suggest a place where I can buy Duchess Ear Posts, not a fan of ear wires?

2. Where can I buy assortment of cubic Ziconia, Bicone Crystals & Crystal Tear Drops.

 Are you looking for all 3 of these assorted together? Or, assorted bags of each kind in a specific size? Or assorted bags of each kind in assorted sizes?  At Rings & Things we have assorted crystal mixes in color themes. I think Artbeads and others also make assortments. See R&T Assorted Swarovski.

I think people are trying to answer your request but it's not clear exactly what you want. Until yesterday you never mentioned assorted 3mm bicones which my firm does have in assorted packages.

Duchess ear post is shown in picture.  Duchess ear posts are ear post with a design (like a flower or heart in the front). They are not ear wires.

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-26179266651112_2015_127678 

I am looking for assortment of crystals of different colors but all of same size. Buying them in larger quantities seems to be cheaper. I had seen on a website a package of 40-50 beads where they had specific colors(pastels, christmas, spring colors etc) & known quantities.

I imagine I need 3/4/5 mm bicones & also different shapes such as heart, flower etc. The pictures I posted in my first post showed bicones of different sizes & Cubic Zircone hearts.

Sorry if I mislead you on the sizes. I am new to beading &  I am not familiar with the sizes & the terminology well & I am learning as we go. I assumed that the pictures I posted would give people  some idea what I was looking for.

 Thanks for the calrification, Tarana,

Not all the links worked for me, one had 2 types of ear wires, another had the crystal or CZ heart with the ear post. Right now only the heart with ear post work. 

The lowest  price for Swarovski goods is at their full factory pack quantity, all one size and color in a the packaging distributed by Swarovski. For 5301 bicones factory packs are packs of 10 gross, or 1440 pieces. You can see ours at Factory Pack Pricing. That's a big quantity for someone starting out. Any thing smaller that factory pack have some added markup to pay for the time an labor of making the special assortments.

I haven't noticed a seller with asorted packs of 40-50 beads. My assortments are usually 100 or 144 pieces. Perhaps someone else reading this can make some suggestions?

There are not many places in the US selling CZ beads. (They are more common in Asia.) Again, I hope some other members can suggest some CZ sellers for you.