Found Collection

I am relatively new to beading and am wondering . . .

What are the best basic beading books to have? How about for advanced
stringing techniques and fixing up mistakes?

What are some of the best online sources for beads and supplies?

Are ebay auctions fairly safe? I use ebay to buy Barbie stuff and don't
want to end up buying beads or items from yucky folks. Any
recommendations on perhaps some of the better ebay stores?

Your help is greatly appreciated! I want to save money and not buy
stuff that is useless.

The best beading book depends on what you are looking to learn - making
jewelry, making purses, learning about the history of beads, making
your own beads out of glass, paper, metal, clay, etc. I really don't
have a lot of personal book favorites except "Sadie Starr Presents -
Beading with Seed Beads. Gemstones and Cabochons." I find myself going
back to it more frequently than any other beading book.

There are tons of on-line sources for beads, again, it depends on what
you want. Take a look at how the site describes their beads - do they
tell you what the beads are made out of, or do they leave it to your
imagination? If they don't say what materials the beads are made out
of, you may find yourself paying gemstone prices for plastic. It still
surprises me when I find one like that.

eBay auctions can be safe, you just need to get familiar with the
listings, seller's feedback etc. I hang out in one of the beading
groups on eBay and you can tell a lot about the beads and beaders
there. Look at the seller's feedback - given and received. Read the
comments. Are the positives soft? Like the buyer wasn't entirely happy,
but felt they had to leave a positive? Or is the feedback glowing with
lots of mentions of beads that are better than described? Or better
than pictured? What kind of feedback does the seller leave? Do they go
postal at the slightest hint of a problem with a buyer? And finally the
feedback percentage, unless the seller is new and ran into a neg right
away, I won't buy from a seller with a feedback percentage less than
98%. Keep an eye out for shipping gougers too - those that pad the
shipping to make a little extra profit. (Not talking about a small
handling fee, but just the sellers that abuse the handling fee.)

One point to always remember - always buy the best you can afford. If
you have a choice between sterling silver and silver-plate, and you can
afford sterling, buy the sterling. Better quality materials should last
longer. On the other hand, don't be afraid to buy some inexpensive
stuff to experiment with.

MonaLS - Hayward, CA
WebRing - The People of Rec.Crafts.Beads:
http://tinyurl.com/d567d

Great post, MonaLS.    

: The best beading book depends on what you are looking to learn -
making
: jewelry, making purses, learning about the history of beads, making
: your own beads out of glass, paper, metal, clay, etc. I really don't
: have a lot of personal book favorites except "Sadie Starr Presents -
: Beading with Seed Beads. Gemstones and Cabochons." I find myself
going
: back to it more frequently than any other beading book.
:
: There are tons of on-line sources for beads, again, it depends on
what
: you want. Take a look at how the site describes their beads - do
they
: tell you what the beads are made out of, or do they leave it to your
: imagination? If they don't say what materials the beads are made out
: of, you may find yourself paying gemstone prices for plastic. It
still
: surprises me when I find one like that.
:
: eBay auctions can be safe, you just need to get familiar with the
: listings, seller's feedback etc. I hang out in one of the beading
: groups on eBay and you can tell a lot about the beads and beaders
: there. Look at the seller's feedback - given and received. Read the
: comments. Are the positives soft? Like the buyer wasn't entirely
happy,
: but felt they had to leave a positive? Or is the feedback glowing
with
: lots of mentions of beads that are better than described? Or better
: than pictured? What kind of feedback does the seller leave? Do they
go
: postal at the slightest hint of a problem with a buyer? And finally
the
: feedback percentage, unless the seller is new and ran into a neg
right
: away, I won't buy from a seller with a feedback percentage less than
: 98%. Keep an eye out for shipping gougers too - those that pad the
: shipping to make a little extra profit. (Not talking about a small
: handling fee, but just the sellers that abuse the handling fee.)
:
: One point to always remember - always buy the best you can afford.
If
: you have a choice between sterling silver and silver-plate, and you
can
: afford sterling, buy the sterling. Better quality materials should
last
: longer. On the other hand, don't be afraid to buy some inexpensive
: stuff to experiment with.
:
: MonaLS - Hayward, CA
: WebRing - The People of Rec.Crafts.Beads:
: http://tinyurl.com/d567d
:

The best books are the ones that pique your imagination and make you
want to learn the technique.   You'll find that even though you might
start with simple techniques, you'll be tempted to learn harder and
harder stitches because you like the way they look in finished
jewelry.  This is where a good bead class taken at your local college,
bead store, etc. comes in handy.

As far as "advanced stringing techniques and fixing up mistakes"...
that's called experience.      Best online sources?   Find what you
like at an online store, then ask in here if anyone has ever used
them.  Better yet, carefully read the ordering FAQ at the website...
and if you don't like any of their business "rules" or practices,
don't order from them.  eBay... same thing... read the feedback on the
seller.  Don't order from sellers that have a lot of negative
feedback.   There are also a few great eBay sellers in here that have
stores, like Nicole of Black Cat Beads and Marjean Cline of Halsey
Trading Company.

Hope you stick around, Cathy.  

Linda

: I am relatively new to beading and am wondering . . .
:
: What are the best basic beading books to have? How about for
advanced
: stringing techniques and fixing up mistakes?
:
: What are some of the best online sources for beads and supplies?
:
: Are ebay auctions fairly safe? I use ebay to buy Barbie stuff and
don't
: want to end up buying beads or items from yucky folks. Any
: recommendations on perhaps some of the better ebay stores?
:
: Your help is greatly appreciated! I want to save money and not buy
: stuff that is useless.
: