Tips for Identifying High-Quality Cloisonne Beads

Tips for Identifying High-Quality Cloisonne Beads

Mar 15, 2021 | Cloisonné Beads, JEWELRY MAKING SUPPLIES

The detailed, colorful enamel of Cloisonne beads can capture your attention. However, with so much movement in the design of the beads, it is easy to overlook imperfections in lesser quality supplies. How can you tell superior beads from those that aren’t as well constructed? Examining Cloisonne beads closely will give you keen insight into the quality of their design.

How Cloisonne Beads Are Made

Understanding how Cloisonne beads are made is crucial to uncovering design inconsistencies masked in low quality beading supplies. Cloisonne beads begin with a copper base, inlaid with twists of silver or gold wires, creating individual compartments. Colorful enamel is deposited between the strips and later fired in a kiln, allowing craftsmen to create beautiful, distinctive designs that resemble miniature stained-glass art. This art form dates back thousands of years, crisscrossing the globe through Egypt, China, Rome, France, Europe, and later to America. While the enameling process has improved over the years, the classic design of Cloisonne beads remains.

Tips for Identifying High-Quality Cloisonne Beads

Our beads and jewelry making supplies are some of the best available. You can tell our superior quality Cloisonne bead from competitors. The best Cloisonne beads showcase these qualities:

  • Smooth surface
    The surface of premium Cloisonne beads will be smooth, with no rough edges or protruding wires.
  • Uniform shape
    Properly made Cloisonne beads should not have any pits or high spots. Each section should be completely filled with enamel.

Find a Wide Variety of High-Quality Cloisonne Beads at Crystal Findings

Create beautiful, new jewelry styles with our extensive selection of Cloisonne beads. We offer an array of sizes, styles, colors, and prints, including flattened style, tube, and geometric shaped, twist-on, clasp style, fancy and novelty style Cloisonne beads. Purchase just a few of each bead type, expanding your selection, or buy Cloisonne beads in bulk for added savings. We deliver fast, directly to your door via your choice of UPS or USPS shipping services.

Wearable Works of Art

Cloisonne beads should be cared for like the art they are. When they’re not being worn, they should be stored in small bags to guard the enamel against scratches. They must also be cleaned carefully with a soft, lint-free cloth and minimal water to prevent liquids from being absorbed into small holes that may be in the body of the beads. Never use harsh cleaners or ultrasonic jewelry cleaners, which can damage the surface of the beads.

Shop the best selection of wholesale beading supplies in the USA. Shop our extensive online catalog or contact us at 215 568 4200  to place an order for high-quality Cloisonne beads from Crystal Findings today.

Choosing the Right Beads for Your Jewelry Design

Choosing the Right Beads for Your Jewelry Design

Mar 1, 2021 | Beads, GOLD FILLED BEADS, Jewelry Making, JEWELRY MAKING SUPPLIES

Gold beads are a jewelry-making staple, their classic, timeless good looks a favorite of buyers. However, it’s easy for jewelry designers and shoppers to fall victim to a “fool’s gold” scenario. Gold beads come in many incarnations, including gold plated, gold-filled, and solid gold designs. Distinguishing between these styles is essential to creating quality jewelry and protecting your reputation in the market.

Gold Filled Beads & Gold Plated Beads Are Not the Same

It’s essential to differentiate between gold filled beads and plated designs. Gold-filled beads feature a layer of gold bonded to another metal. They contain much more gold than  a gold-plated bead of similar size and style. They hold their value well and maintain their beauty over time of decades, making them a cost-effective alternative to solid gold. Gold-filled beads resist the tarnishing and fading common in gold-plated alternatives. Using quality gold-filled beads over gold-plated options will increase your profits and uphold your reputation for creating quality jewelry.

Make Quality Beads a Hallmark of Your Design Standards

Like gold-filled beads, the same quality concerns should apply to sterling silver beads for jewelry making and Swarovski crystal beads. It is essential to find a reputable jewelry supplies wholesaler that carries quality beads and findings, like our sterling silver-filled beads and genuine Swarovski crystal beads and pendants. Access to a variety of beautiful, high-quality beads will help elevate your status as a leading jewelry designer.

Tips for Choosing the Right Beads for Your Jewelry Designs

Finding the right beads for your jewelry-making project is essential to its success, whether you’re looking to purchase sparkling semi-precious stone beads for a stunning new line or alphabet beads for fun youth jewelry. The materials you use make all the difference in positioning your jewelry as a lasting investment or a low-quality knock-off. Quality shows.

To identify quality gold-filled beads, look for 14K gold, which is made of 60% gold and 40% alloys like zinc, nickel, silver, and copper to prevent the beads from being too soft. Pure gold, identified by its 24K gold insignia, indicates pure gold, which though valuable, is too soft for daily wear and will not hold its quality. Beautiful, practical, lasting jewelry at an affordable price can be achieved with the right metal composition. Your ability to make the right choice will give you an edge in the market and build your reputation as a jewelry craftsperson.

Create quality, affordable jewelry that keeps customers coming back for more. Shop the extensive selection of wholesale beads and jewelry supplies at Crystal Findings today.