Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate the charges for shipping? How do you package the beads? How often do you ship?
At present, it’s based on the total value of the shipment.
Between $1 and $15, the charge is $2.30.
Between $16 and $30, the charge is $2.75.
Between $31 and $60, the charge is $3.25.
Between $61 and $100, the charge is $4.
I am careful in packing my shipments. I pack securely in boxes, with bubble wrap. I generally ship packages on Mondays and Fridays, though exceptions do occur. Please note that I go out of town occasionally and there may be a delay in shipping. When I am out of town, a banner will be displayed on the site.
What does vintage mean?
There are two terms commonly used to describe the age of beads. One is “antique” and the other is “vintage.” Antique generally refers to beads one hundred years old or older. Vintage is not as well-defined, however. It can refer to beads that are twenty years old, or eighty years old.
I generally carry German beads from the fifties through the seventies, Austrian beads from the fifties through the seventies, Japanese beads from the forties through the fifties, Italian beads from the thirties and forties, and Czech beads from the thirties through the seventies. I try to list the possible decade in each description. I’ve been selling and appreciating vintage for the last ten years, but I am by no means an expert on the subject, and I have made mistakes before and most likely will in the future. The age of the beads is based on my best possible guess along with information received from the vendor(s) I’ve purchased them from.
I also sell vintage reproductions, which are usually made from the original molds, and are also sometimes made with vintage glass as well. I always label such beads as reproductions.
Please note that all vintage items vary from bead to bead or cab to cab. The brass stampings each have their own unique patina, and may not be exactly as shown. Many of the glass items will vary as well. All of the glass items might have scratches and/or small chips. Many of them were stored together in bags and might have signs of wear from this. I sort out broken beads and cabs, and beads without holes, and I also try to sort out chipped and cracked beads, but please understand that some of the items I’ve bought have scratches and/or small chips.
Where do you buy your vintage beads from?
I buy closeouts from vendors. Sometimes these closeouts are large lots of a single kind of bead, and sometimes they’re a little bit of everything.
Do you take apart old jewelry to get your vintage beads?
No, absolutely not. There are lots of vintage beads available that were overstocks, kept in the backroom or basement of a jewelry company. A lot of jewelry companies held onto their overstock because there wasn’t really a loose bead market at the time, and also because they had the beads made for their designs and wouldn’t want to sell the beads to their competitors. Nowadays, however, there is a market for loose beads and many of these jewelry and bead supply companies are selling their old beads. Unfortunately, the most usable vintage beads—vintage Swarovski crystal, for example—have been picked over, and there isn’t a lot of “new” vintage to be found.
What does “closeout beads” mean?
I usually buy beads in large lots and then sort through them over a period of days. These large lots are called “closeouts” and are usually a very good deal. Often they are beads that the vendor had too much of, or that didn’t sell well for them. I then either package the beads for my dollar bag bins or I put them aside for sale online or at shows. Many of my prices are below retail, and sometimes even below wholesale. A lot of the beads I have you will not find anywhere else.
How do you know if beads are vintage?
Usually I buy from reputable vendors who are honest about their product. I also consult other people in the industry from time to time who are knowledgeable about vintage beads. Generally the color(s) used and the style of the bead are clues to when it was made. There are several two-tone colors which are not used for beads today. Also, I occasionally am lucky to get the original packaging as well. There are also other signs, such as hand-ground edges on molded beads from the twenties and thirties.
