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Thursday, May 09, 2013

Happy Mothers' Day!

27753011337289 Swarovski Elements Bead - 4 mm Faceted Bicone (5301) - Indian Pink (36)Yep - jumping the gun a little bit here - but, what the heck. Happy Mothers' Day to all the moms and moms-to-be (You know who you are!) and all the kids from 0 to 110 who wouldn't haven't gotten to be here without their moms.

That about covers everyone, doesn't it. But hey - it's May - some of us have had a few days of decent weather, and any excuse to celebrate - that's what we say!

If you thought you might mosey on down to the store and take Mom bead shopping this weekend - that's a heck of a good idea, and so - we're having a little sale -Swarovski 4 mm Bicones are 16% off. Starts Thursday - runs through to next week. And, if you're not within moseying distance - well - that's what the website is for! Because - it's a big country and we can't be everywhere.

s35883 Stone Beads - 10 mm Round - Cherry Quartz (strand)
Mother's Day, beads, you might think that a sale is the cherry-on-top - but actually no. The cherry-on-top is Cherry Quartz. We have a new shipment of Cherry Quartz - in all the usual shapes and sizes. Actually - the colour is more salmon than cherry - but I suspect that calling it Salmon Quartz might not have had the same appeal. Would have worked for me though - I like salmon.

Salmon Quartz - or Cherry Quartz - is a "manufactured" stone - inspired by strawberry quartz - which is a quartz variety with iron oxide inclusions. When you examine Cherry Quartz closely - you see that it is colorful, translucent inclusions in a fine, clear matrix. Because of the way it is made - it is manufactured in blocks - it is then carved, shaped, ground, cut, and polished exactly the same way as any other stone bead. The labour remains the same - only the original starting point differs.

s35892 Stone Beads - 10 x 14 mm Oval - Mexican Red Snowflake Jasper (strand)In fact - we have two more new stones this month! Also new, and available in all the usual shapes and sizes is Mexican Red Snowflake Jasper. Jasper - as you may have figured out from the huge number of varieties that we carry (Currently 16 and counting) - comes in many different flavours - some pretty specific from the part of the world that they come from. This is much like regional food - pasta may be everywhere - but a noodle is not just a noodle. In fact - the cooking analogy is a good one - Mother Nature cooks up variations depending on the available local ingredients - a dash of iron oxide here might get substituted for another element somewhere else. All that remains is for you to pick your favourite! This Mexican Red Snowflake Jasper is a variation on Ocean Jasper, and has different colours - but the patterns are similar. MRSJ is roundish patterns of red, orange, and cream on a black and grey background.

s35978 Stone Beads - 14 mm Donut Rondelle - Matte Blue Dragon Vein Agate (1)Also new this month is ... TA DA! ... Dragon Vein Agate. Dragon Vein Agate reminded me right away of the s35981 Stone Beads - 30 mm Square Tablet - Matte Blue Dragon Vein Agate (1)Fire Agate we used to have - and indeed - that is what it is. This is also a stone that has had a little help to look the way it does. Also known as "Fire Crackle" agate - this starts as an agate, which is then coated and heated and cooled rapidly - to create the distinctive vein pattern on the surface. It's pretty cool-looking stuff, and for some reason - reminds me of sea turtles.

s35907 Stone Beads - 13 x 18 mm Rectangle - Dragon Blood Jasper (1)Oh, speaking of Dragons, which I frequently do, we also just got a big re-stock of Dragon's Blood Jasper in - which is our stone of the month - and on sale for the month of May! This is a mottled green with splashes of red - so another earthy look. Earth Dragon look.


That's it for this week, hope you and your mom have a lovely day, and we hope to make your day happier with lovely beads. Please click on a link or an image above, or just go here for all the wonderful new and fabulous old beads this week!

s35910 Glass Flowers - 12 mm Pressed Wild Flowers - Canary (1)Oh, and I almost forgot - you can get her some flowers here too. Pressed Wild Flowers.
...I cut down trees, I skip and jump, I love to press wild flowers ... . ;-) Your earworm for the day. You're welcome. :-P

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