The first year of HiloBeads

The time came to renew the HiloBeads domain, and I was happy to do so. So, while I may not always have time to update things, HiloBeads will be around for at least another 3 years. A repeat customer at the Hilo Farmer's Market found me last week, needing Swarovski crystals, and I hadn't been to the market the week before, also saying that she might like some more freshwater pearls as well - in spite of that she will be moving away in the not too distant future.

I may be getting my hands on some more Hawaiian mgambo/weleweka seeds, and as those are already drilled I will then be able to take a larger order or two without my usual waiting time for the drilling. I'm also planning on getting some more Ornela seed beads (Susanne: real soon now, I sure hope), fresh water pearls and fire polished crystals (those are getting a bit picked over by now) and quite possibly a few more colors in Swarovski crystals. I'm certainly planning on Aquamarine AB2X for the next order.

I'm also still planning on getting an annealing kiln for my lampwork, and a proper mount for my torch. And maybe a new torch.

If you have any particular colors and sizes you'd like in fire polished crystals, please let me know in the next few days. I know I'll be ordering 4mm jonquil, aquamarine, cobalt.

The fuzz cat wants to be let out.

Happy New Year, everybody.

some update, finally ...

Another quite successful (for me at least) Artists' Fair. I am going to order more Ornela seed beads soon, and probably more fresh water pearls, fire polished crystals and some gemstones too. Please send me email if you have any requests. This includes lampwork, though I so far only make what most lampworkers call spacer beads, and so far they are only flame annealed, though I hope to get an annealing kiln soon.

The image included in this post are the malachite round beads that got this started (of sorts) about a year ago. I got a new fleece jacket (yes, I'm in Hawaii, but I work in what to me qualifies as a fridge). It's green. I wanted to have matching earrings and decided they had to be malachite. There were no round malachite beads in Hilo. There are now, and I sold some as just plain beads today (not a strand of the large ones, but individual beads at a decent price to both me and the customer)

One of my prettiest commissioned sets contains malachite:


A bit of bad news: I'll have to raise the price on mgambo seeds again as I was just asked whether I could supply them by 1000s, and at the current price I can't, and I'm not sure I'll be able to supply those in large quantities anymore until my own trees start bearing. I don't like this anymore than you do ...

Another fun Artists' Fair past

Had my share of fun (and reasonably good sales) at the Artists' Fair today. Thanks to everybody who came by, whether you bought anything or not - with special thanks to Felisa who bought a necklace and earrings set I just finished last night -.

My next fair will be at the East Hawaii Culture Center in 2 weeks, but that's jewelry and lampwork only, no beads and beading supplies (I may have some, and if you ask I may sell them anyway, but I won't have them on display, and I won't have everything with me).

The only other fair I'm currently planning on is another one of the Artists' Fairs at Hilo Art & Glass on December 20, for those last minute Christmas presents, of for those who think they may have a bit of extra time for those beading projects over the Holiday Season.

Oh, and before I forget that: Eva (the owner of Hilo Art&Glass) had a boy earlier this week, congratulations, both are in good health.

The jewelry in the picture uses some of the beads I bought from a fellow-beader who suffered a stroke in her eye (if you read this, you know who you are - and I still would have been happy to pay more for most of what I bought) and lost sight in that eye (and is about my age).

I may go back to Hilo Art&Glass tomorrow and buy some frit (they have 104 COE frit right now) - I would have bought it today if I could see finding the time to use it any time soon, but my day job still takes most of my awake time (+ the lilikoi, yard work, and the rest) in spite of that I do a lot of thinking about what I'm doing in my off-work hours.

Mr. fuzz cat jumped into my lap and wants to be petted and combed, but at least he doesn't start walking on the keyboard.

(and as long as the spell checker only complains about works like Hilo, lampwork, lilikoi, etc., I guess I'm vaguely OK with the typing, fuzz cat or not)

Hilo Art and Glass Artists' Fairs (HiloBeads at a location at a time)

After the first one of these going into this Holiday season I decided that I want to make just about every effort to be in the November fair as well, so that's on Nov. 15, again at Hilo Art and Glass Supply (and I got some more glass rods and 3/32" mandrels to make more lampwork, because I sold some at the last one, and made some already too). I'm also going to be at the fair on Dec 20, but the intention for that one is for last minute Christmas gifts, but I will have beads there too (Christmas gifts for your beader friends?). Between those two I'm going to be at East Hawaii Cultural Center on Nov. 29 (I think), but not selling beads there other than my own lampwork.

The November Fair at Hilo Art and Glass will again include my $2/strand fresh water pearls, shell bead strands and gemstone strands - and whatever lampwork I made in between, jewelry, gemstone beads, Swarovski crystals, mgambo seed and Royal poinciana seed beads, and, should you be interested locally, I have some packaged Job's Tears too, and, yes: etc. (wire, findings, and some other stuff) -

Sorry, no pictures in this one, I hope to get around to that soon.

Artists' Fair, Oct. 18, at Hilo Art&Glass Supply

As I don't have much of an idea how many people read my blog who are in this neighborhood: I'm going to be at the Artists' Fair at Hilo Art and Glass Supply this Saturday, Oct. 18, 10-4, planning on mostly still selling supplies for your Christmas presents, rather than a lot of jewelry, but I have some jewelry as well. If you're interested I can show you how to make memory wire hoop earrings (no formal class though, you can just stop by and I can show you - and I have some round nose pliers available, not a whole lot, so come early if you need a pair). I had at some point thought of bringing my torch, but I think that's not going to work, and there are likely to be much better lampworkers around than rookie me.

Some new things came in as well: mixed gemstone strands at $2-3 each (these are over a foot long), 13 piece fan collars in several gemstones/colors. I'll have $1.- bags of findings, ranging from split rings through clasps to rubber earring stoppers and memory wire. There are still $2.- fresh water pearl strands, the only SoftFlex in East Hawaii, and of course all the Swarovski crystal colors and Jablonex Ornela seed bead colors and all the gemstones listed on the HiloBeads website. I may get around to counting Sterling Silver and gold filled 2x2mm crimps into $1.- bags, but I may not.

See you this Saturday at Hilo Art and Glass Supply, 318 Kino'ole Street, in Downtown Hilo, between Sack&Save and L&L Drive In, in front of the former Farmers' Exchange building.

Fairs, hoop earrings, lilikoi, etc,

I have finally updated the crystals page to show the new Swarovski crystals HiloBeads has in stock - and reformatted the layout -.

There are also now finally some hoop earrings on the earrings page, and I'm in the process of actually making more memory wire hoop earring wires.

I have some new memory wire come in, including gold plated, but I'm not entirely happy with the plating. It's the same manufacturer as the silver plated memory wire i have, but while the silver plating adheres well the gold plating flakes in the tight loops on the earring wires.
I also have a shipment of semi-precious gemstones on the way, some "mini-collars" that do well in necklaces as well as hoop earrings, and some mixed gemstone strands that will be really inexpensive (in local terms: reasonable).

I will be in the following fairs:
Artists' Fair at Hilo Art and Glass, Oct. 18 (which will include supplies+lampwork)
EHCC Art and Fine Crafts Fair, Nov. 28 (which may include lampwork)
Artists' Fair at Hilo Art and Glass, Dec. 20 (last minute gifts, and whatever else)

What held me up some, outside of my day-job, was rather large amounts of lilikoi

Some people may think I make up words like this, but it's the Hawaiian word for passion fruit, which are mostly yellow hereabouts, and I have been picking and selling those for a lot longer than I have had anything to do with beads (I think I put that into my first post, entitled "Ancient History"). What's there in the back of my truck is my largest weekly pick yet, 516 lb. My lilikoi customer would be happy if she'd get that every week, but things don't quite work that way for me, or for the lilikoi.

Starting to get ready for Christmas ...

For most people Christmas is still a long way away.

Not for jewelry makers. Some of my customers at the Hilo Farmers Market have been hinting at stocking up, and one has started. Most of the things I sell I just have in stock, but this is not so for things I make myself, and some have longer lead times than others. If anybody who reads my blog thinks they may need drilled seeds, be that Royal Poinciana seeds, double drilled or single drilled, or Mgambo / Velvet Seed / Weleweka / Hawaiian Pussy Willow / Maui mink (these go by more names than you can think), please let me know this soon. I still buy the Mgambo seeds from Oahu, so there is additional lead time when/if I run out. The Royal Poinciana seeds I pick myself, and I have several pounds of them.

I am also thinking about doing a craft fair again this year as I found one that's only one day and relatively inexpensive, and for that I will have to have more inventory in jewelry, which obviously will also leave me less time to drill seeds.

People who have seen them like my memory wire hoop earring findings. I have not made any for sale yet, but I'm thinking about it. If you're interested at a price of $2.- for 3 pairs (+ shipping, and excise tax if you're in Hawaii), just email me.