New Swarovski crystals (etc.)

Earlier in the week the new Swarovski crystals arrived, so I'm happy to announce that HiloBeads now added 4mm bicones in aquamarine, jonquil and tanzanite AB2X and garnet and lilac in AB, as well as 6mm cube beads (5601), all AB, in aquamarine, light colorado topaz and tanzanite (the cube beads are $1.30 each, $12.-/10), and I can still hold the same prices for the bicones (other than for the Hilo Farmer's market jewelry makers' prices for the 144 packets of the AB2X bicones - sorry, I can't sell them to you for less than what I'm paying, and I'm not publishing what I was or will be selling them at).
(I'm not saying I counted all those crystals into packages yet, but I have 144 packages of aquamarine 4mm AB2X ready to go and I can count the rest out for you (almost) any time if you're willing to wait)

When I got the new pearls I also got some more chip strands, adding leopard skin jasper, picture jasper and unakite to the blackstone, snowflake obsidian and white howlite that I already had. I don't have pictures of those yet, they're about 30" strands strung on monofilament (sturdy enough to be worn as necklaces until maybe at some point the monofilament breaks - I do not sell them as necklaces but I wear them as such), and $2.- each. There are also some new mixed 16" gemstone strands for $2.-/strand and some that I have identified (Chinese marble agate, aragonite, and yellow turquoise (probably dyed) for $3.- to $5.-.

Other than that, I have ordered an annealing kiln (with a digital controller), so that I can feel comfortable about selling my lampwork beads (I will batch anneal what I have), as well as start trying to make more complicated beads than what in the lampwork community qualifies as "spacers". I'm comfortable enough with my setup and abilities to make sets of spacers (watch this space if you're in the market for lampwork spacer sets), and it's time for me to move on to a bit more complex beads (and more spacer sets). I also hope to start making beads from bottle glass. I have some bottles saved up for that.

Swarovski crystals coming - and pictures of pearls

I had hoped that the crystals would come in before the weekend, but they didn't. I'm adding 4mm bicones in aquamarine, jonquil and tanzanite 2AB, garnet and lilac AB, and 6mm cubes in aquamarine, light colorado topaz and tanzanite AB. Some on request and some because I wanted them myself. The prices I have listed on the website aren't changing yet (and I did order some spares for colors that sell a lot or that I use a lot so that I won't have to change them until those are sold), but some of the the "special Hilo Farmer's Market (and similar) jewelry makers only" prices are. If any of you read this blog: I can't sell the crystals to you for less than what I'm paying. You know who you are.

Some of the pearl strands are already sold, but here are the pictures of all of them:

Please let me know soon if you need any different Swawovski crystals

Aloha, after getting a bunch of new freshwater pearls, fire polished crystals and low priced semi-precious gemstone strands (the pearls and those gemstones will still be $2.-/15"-16" strand and the fire polished crystals $5.-/strand), I'm also putting together an order for Swarovski crystals before the end of the month. I am not going to be able to hold the "Hilo Farmer's Market special price to jewelry makers" - that those of you who aren't in the area and pay retail don't want to know - no matter what.

The rest of my life has been rather busy lately, currently dealing with an infected spider bite, getting a "creation station" to mount my torch, and hoping to buy a kiln, in spite of that I haven't had time to make any lampwork beads since October.

My daytime job (the end of a 2 year project) and craft fairs got the better of me, and it's coffee harvesting season, still kinda lilikoi season, if I didn't have this spider bite, and a few other things to do.

To repeat this, if you want any particular Swarovski crystal colors, shapes,
sizes, please let me know.

And, I'm getting a lot of spam on the hilobeads email account right now, but so far every legit email got through. I may not have been able to get back to everybody, in some cases because your spam blockers ate my email, and in at least one case because I didn't read all of it and just hit the reply button.

I'll put up pictures of the FP crystals, pearls and gemstone strands after some local customers have taken their first dibs (I'm local first, on-line second, sorry)

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.