Two competing shows opened on Friday. The first is the Whole Bead Show at the Metropolitan Pavilion. The first day is usually pretty busy as the wholesale and the experienced buyers come in early to have first dibs on the best stuff. This is one of the last big shows of the year, just in time for the pre-Christmas shoppers.
Stuff from Swarovski beads to rusted steel chain can be found here. I picked up more of the Uber Curly Pigtails that we can never seem to keep in stock at the store. At one of my stone suppliers, the big thing was burnt jade. This is yellow/amber jade that has been matte finished. I got beads in several shapes and sizes as well as some other cool stuff.
I also restocked on sterling clasps and toggles, including the nice brass ones that have been unavailable for almost a year.
Later, I walked up the 14 blocks to the Glass Arts show, sponsored by the Softflex Company. This is a much smaller show, but the vendors are juried and have lovely one-of-a-kind pieces.
Some of this stuff is pretty pricey, but nice to look at.
One of the new items I picked up is bezel wire which does not require soldering or special tools to use. It can be used to frame cabs, beads, or anything you fancy.Also from this vendor were some nice connectors. Look for those on our website soon.
The vintage look is still popular, ranging from Victorian decorous to anything-goes Steampunk. Big is still popular, too. Big pearls, mixed with big jumprings, joined with short lengths of chain.
Tmorrow is R&R day for me. No beads, just theatre and schmoozing with friends. Ah, New York!
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