How to buy semi precious beads online

Bead stringing is one of the easiest jewelry making techniques. Like most beginners, I started with beads. I was mesmerised by the vivid colours of bead stones. Thinking about how the earth’s crust gives birth to the different minerals which in turn are refined to create beads always leaves me awestruck. Aquamarine, Turquoise, zircon, Lapis lazuli, Kyanite, agate, sapphire and more; pick a colour and you will find countless gemstone varieties in nature. This is the scary part as some gem beads have similar colours but differ in price. For example- Spinel and rubies were included in the same category until 19 century; however, they are two different gemstone variety. Spinel is also known by the name of Black Prince’s Ruby. 

Making a distinction between such stones require practical knowledge and sometimes even going to the testing agency. Even purchasing semi precious beads from a gems and jewelry show, or face to face from a wholesaler doesn’t guarantee you the purity of the gems. Checking the grades in certificates is the quickest method to know whether the deal is good. While visiting the wholesaler to examine every specimen before purchasing is an appealing idea; for an over-busy person like me, online shopping is more convenient. It saves to make from the fuss of wasting an entire day and extending the deadline for running projects.
 
Here are some tips on buying semi bead online to stop you from making classic newbie mistakes -

1. Get the hint - Scrutinizing the description can reveal a lot of information of the semi precious bead stone. In the product details, the stone’s origin, weight, hole size in mm, colour, shape, quality and treatment should be mentioned. If a seller provides a vague description containing only the name of the stone or has skipped any of the above elements, something’s fishy.

Deceptive wholesalers try to attract the retail orders will cheap prices. The missing info is the sign of either the inadequacy of their product or laziness to type in the details.

Also, check out the contact information. Missing address, email id or phone means you would be able to claim any refund/ return for the beads you buy from the supplier.

2. Don’t Place a Big Order - If this is your first purchase, order only the smallest amount of gems the dealer allows. Test the quality of the product. Look at each of the gems in the strands before coming to a conclusion. After you have identified a few high-quality gems suppliers, you can proceed further and make the big purchase.

3. Price doesn’t convey the quality - The rare gemstones come with a costly price tag. All glitters are not gold. The authenticity of a gemstone is not mutually exclusive to its price. A number of gemstone wholesaler sell freshwater cultured pearls as natural pearls because the physical differences are fading away.

4. Size - The size of the beads can change the jewelry design. Before giving an order see if the size matches your requirements. In case you are buying strings, check out the length and number of beads in each of them.

5. Look at Photos - Though often sellers edit their photos through photoshop to improve the appearance of the stone; viewing the product pictures is important.

6. Wholesale license & Tax ID - The suppliers sell exclusively to retailers who have the capacity to make a bulk gemstones purchase. Without a wholesale license, you can’t make a purchase. Most of their products aren’t taxed yet, which is the reason why they also require your tax ID number sometimes. Two of them are necessities for your bead endeavors.

7. Separate gems & Jewelry supplier - A single business can’t offer excellence in the different areas of jewelry. People who are jewelry designers like me have to buy findings, clasps, chains, etc. along with the gems. Acquire each of your supplies from a person who specializes in selling a particular item on your buying list.

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