Purple Beads

I am having terrible luck with purple beads and I'm sure someone here can
tell me why. I bought purple crackle beads at Michael's and the coating
peeled off. Okay, I got them from Michael's so I wasn't exactly shocked.
Then I got two different sizes of purple seed beads from Beadazzled and it
looks more like they faded, but they may have actually peeled too. Then I
got some from Joanne's -- I don't know what they're called but they're the
kind where the color is in the middle (if that makes any sense). I sort of
expected the color to fall apart on me and it did. All of the beads were
used on bracelets and deteriorated after heavy wear (my four-year-old son
wears his bracelet 24 hours a day). Is there such a thing as a purple bead
that keeps its color?

ang.
____________________________
angelfish handcrafted baubles
http://thehalsteds.com/angelfish

There are tons of purple beads that keep their color. What size and kind of
bead are you buying?
KathyH
"angela" wrote in message
news:UZK_a.11077$qf.1054@lakeread06...
I am having terrible luck with purple beads and I'm sure someone here can
tell me why. I bought purple crackle beads at Michael's and the coating
peeled off. Okay, I got them from Michael's so I wasn't exactly shocked.
Then I got two different sizes of purple seed beads from Beadazzled and it
looks more like they faded, but they may have actually peeled too. Then I
got some from Joanne's -- I don't know what they're called but they're the
kind where the color is in the middle (if that makes any sense). I sort of
expected the color to fall apart on me and it did. All of the beads were
used on bracelets and deteriorated after heavy wear (my four-year-old son
wears his bracelet 24 hours a day). Is there such a thing as a purple bead
that keeps its color?

ang.
____________________________
angelfish handcrafted baubles
http://thehalsteds.com/angelfish

I'm guessing the problem isn't that they are purple, but the kind of beads
you are getting.

(You guessed it

I don't know anything about Beadazzled, but I would strongly suggest not
getting beads from either Michaels or Joanne's. They end up being much more
expensive then anything you buy online and probably more expensive then
anything you would get at a bead store, and everything they sell is junk.
Especially don't buy stringing materials there. It might seem like a good
place to save money, but you will end up very frustrated with problems you
wouldn't have if you had gotten "real" supplies.

marisa2

"angela" wrote in message
news:UZK_a.11077$qf.1054@lakeread06...
I am having terrible luck with purple beads and I'm sure someone here can
tell me why. I bought purple crackle beads at Michael's and the coating
peeled off. Okay, I got them from Michael's so I wasn't exactly shocked.
Then I got two different sizes of purple seed beads from Beadazzled and it
looks more like they faded, but they may have actually peeled too. Then I
got some from Joanne's -- I don't know what they're called but they're the
kind where the color is in the middle (if that makes any sense). I sort of
expected the color to fall apart on me and it did. All of the beads were
used on bracelets and deteriorated after heavy wear (my four-year-old son
wears his bracelet 24 hours a day). Is there such a thing as a purple bead
that keeps its color?

ang.
____________________________
angelfish handcrafted baubles
http://thehalsteds.com/angelfish

I had some crackle beads that had a coating for the color, which I was able
to peel off. They were inexpensive beads from China. I also have some
faceted Czech beads in an amethyst color that are just wonderful, and the
color is fine.

I think if you avoid glass from China and India entirely you will have a
better chance of getting quality beads. I don't shop at Michaels; I do have
a craft/art supply store near here (Pearl art supplies) which stocks some
crap, but also some things that aren't crap. You just have to be careful
about what you buy. I've been learning as I go along. Price in this case
is usually a good indicator of real value.

Laura


"angela" wrote in message
news:UZK_a.11077$qf.1054@lakeread06...
I am having terrible luck with purple beads and I'm sure someone here can
tell me why. I bought purple crackle beads at Michael's and the coating
peeled off. Okay, I got them from Michael's so I wasn't exactly shocked.
Then I got two different sizes of purple seed beads from Beadazzled and it
looks more like they faded, but they may have actually peeled too. Then I
got some from Joanne's -- I don't know what they're called but they're the
kind where the color is in the middle (if that makes any sense). I sort of
expected the color to fall apart on me and it did. All of the beads were
used on bracelets and deteriorated after heavy wear (my four-year-old son
wears his bracelet 24 hours a day). Is there such a thing as a purple bead
that keeps its color?

ang.
____________________________
angelfish handcrafted baubles
http://thehalsteds.com/angelfish

This is a Truth.

Once you have identified specific things that have the quality you
need, you can begin to save by buying those you use a lot ... in
quantity. That is a way to get savings that isn't illusory or
seductive, but genuine.

But at the start, while you sample things, be prepared to spend more
than you will once you have identified those you -can- buy in bulk.


Deirdre

On Thu, 14 Aug 2003 11:46:58 -0400, "laura"
wrote:

Price in this case
is usually a good indicator of real value.

Laura,

Just out of curiousity, what town are you in?

I ask because there is a Pearl Art Supplies near me also, and they carry
Blue Moon beads which are pretty decent.

Linda2

wrote in message
link.net...
Laura,

Just out of curiousity, what town are you in?

I ask because there is a Pearl Art Supplies near me also, and they carry
Blue Moon beads which are pretty decent.

Philadelphia. Yeah, I like some of the Blue Moon beads

Laura

I have several shades of purple from Toho beads (Japanese seed beads)
that I've used a lot. So far, no fading, peeling or color loss.

If you don't have local sources, here's a couple of links:

http://www.bobbybead.com/toho.htm

http://members.tripod.com/~cbbeads/index.htm

The first vendor will sell in bulk quantities at a big savings, if you
know what you want.

The second one has some 'starter' samplers, one of which includes
whole range of purples from more than one Japanese brand, not just
Toho. I think the site uses a letter-code to identify the brand, and
they have more Miyuki colors than Toho colors.

General Bead also has a good representation of Toho beads, but I
haven't checked their purples selection lately.

My favorite Toho purple is Color #928, Purple-lined Light Amethyst,
which is fairly intensely purple. But there are several other shades
as well.

The color chart on the Bobby Bead site takes a while to load on
dial-up, but is worth the wait. If your monitor is fairly color-true,
you can trust what you see about as well as anything you can't see
'live' and in daylight.

Good luck. Purples are notoriously hard to make in glass, so there is
a reason why you are having this problem.

Deirdre

On Thu, 14 Aug 2003 08:09:28 -0400, "angela"
wrote:

I am having terrible luck with purple beads and I'm sure someone here can
tell me why. I bought purple crackle beads at Michael's and the coating
peeled off. Okay, I got them from Michael's so I wasn't exactly shocked.
Then I got two different sizes of purple seed beads from Beadazzled and it
looks more like they faded, but they may have actually peeled too. Then I
got some from Joanne's -- I don't know what they're called but they're the
kind where the color is in the middle (if that makes any sense). I sort of
expected the color to fall apart on me and it did. All of the beads were
used on bracelets and deteriorated after heavy wear (my four-year-old son
wears his bracelet 24 hours a day). Is there such a thing as a purple bead
that keeps its color?

ang.
____________________________
angelfish handcrafted baubles
http://thehalsteds.com/angelfish

Exactly my thought. freaked

Yanno, I just had a really bad thought: I've been working on a neckpiece
to go with one of the cabs I wove bezels for, and it's mostly purple.
Actually, most of the "purple" beads are light blue color-lined with
purple and/or fushia, but there are some silver-lined purples (not
amethyst -- really purple!). They are all miyukis or other Japanese
beads. I'd just die if they were to fade -- not that I'd wear them
constantly, but....

Is there a test you can give to glass seed beads to see if they'd
fade or not -- one that you can do right away? (You know -- not
just laying them out on a windowsill, or wearing them for weeks
first.) Anything? I have no idea which of my seed beads will fade
-- uh oh!


~~
Sooz
-------
Let the beauty we love be what we do. --Rumi
I'm not a hamster, and life's not a wheel. --Sooz
~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
http://airandearth.netfirms.com/soozlinkslist.html