CZ vs "Austrian crystal"

Odered two styles of CZ beads-- 4mm rondel and 6mm ball (both faceted)
The rondels are shaped like regular, faceted gemstone rondels
The balls are like "disco balls"-- the facets are elongated hexagons,
almost rectangular, and there ar 6 rings of facets from top to bottom. There
was a vintage Swarovski shape similar to this-- sorry, don't know the number.

Source for the CZ-- from www.gemshow-online.com
These ARE something other than glass-- they are heavier, and warmer. More
sparkle than plain glass or fire polished. More subtle sparkle than AB coated
glass or crystal. This company is very quick to ship-- I ordered the night of
the 18th-- I got the beads in today's mail (Nov 20). Of course, they are "just
up the road" from me (in Oceanside).

CZ: drill holes very obvious, compared to crystal beads. Wetting the hole does
not "clear" it. The rondels gave the impression that they had some crushing
damage at first-- however, examination of the actual facets/edges showed no
chipping, but that the appearance is due to the drill hole reflection. With an
AB coated crystal next to the CZ-- well, even if they were the same price, I'd
probably choose to buy the crystal. And the crystal is quite a bit cheaper.
Kaytee
"Simplexities" on
www.eclecticbeadery.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/simplexities/