Gemstone Nuggets

Quite a large shipment of stone beads came in today . . . we're just swimming in strands! These nuggets came in 3 different sizes and in just about every color you can think of. All natural stone of course (except a couple of Goldstone strands that snuck in). So, check 'em out . . .

Tiny nuggets . . .

(All tiny strands $4 each)

Medium nuggets . . .

(All medium strands $5 each)

Large nuggets in greens . . .

(All large nugget strands $7 each)

Starting from the top . . . Serpentine, Olive Jade, Aventurine, Unakite

. . . sunset tones . . .

Starting from the top . . .  Matte Red Jasper, Peach Aventurine, Red Jasper, Poppy Jasper, Honey Jade

. . . pinks and purples . . .

Starting from the top . . .  Amethyst, pink Calcite, Rose Quartz, Rhodonite

. . . and speckled!

Starting from the top . . . Dalmation Jasper, Snowflake Obsidian, Sodalite

Not every nugget shape got shown on here (there's just soooo many!) so be sure to stop in a take a look.

Antique amber overload!

Is there really such a thing as "overload" when it comes to the antique amber (or any bead for that matter)? We don't think so, and that's a good thing because we just got a huge assortment of these precious, hard to find antique beads. The color range is fantastic . . . from buttery yellow, to golden, to caramel. There's even a few opaque, dark reddish-brown beads floating around. We have beads that are sold individually ($9.50 per gram) and a few strands (price varies).

Not familiar with the antique amber? These beads were made mostly during the mid 19th century into the early 20th century (although some maybe much older). Though they were shaped in Africa, the rough was most likely Baltic in origin.

Carnelian Buddhas

Check out these Buddhas! Each pendant is hand carved from carnelian, a natural reddish/orange agate. The patterns on these are just so fun, each one dramatically different from the last. Each pendant is $6.20, come by and find the piece that speaks to you!

New Chains

Some fantastic new chain just arrived . . .

These styles are all new sterling silver additions to our extensive chain collection. We are so excited to have these!

Tiny Gemstone Beads

Teeny tiny gemstone beads are back! These 2mm beads make great spacers, delicate looking multi-strands, or pair with a small pendant for a subtle necklace. There are a lot of different gemstones to choose from . . . but, if you can't decide we've got mixed strands to give you an array of color choices! All strands are $5 each, except for the Rose Quartz which is $6 each.

A Multitasking Gold Chain

You may be asking yourself, what is a "multitasking chain"? It's this:

This brand new large link goldfilled chain gives you so many options. It's large enough to be a statement piece all by itself, you can space it with gemstones or glass, or you can do this . . .

Simply cut the tiny link between each large link and you've got some great frames to use for whatever you'd like! We've made an earring to show just one thing you can do with these versatile links. The best part is that because they're connected with a tiny link you'll never have to waste a large link when cutting . . .  and that saves A LOT of money!

Silver and Gold . . .

A box came in this week full of silver and gold . . . freshwater pearls! Silver colored pearls are a great addition to almost any project. The smaller pieces compliment almost any color which makes them great spacers. The larger ones can also be paired with just about anything. I personally like mixing them with iolite and labradorite to enhance the silvery sheen . . . but if you're feeling adventurous with color green and purple look beautiful too!

These remind me of tiny, glittery river stones. Can you imagine finding these scattered along a river bed? I can (it's one of my 'happy places').

$11 per strand

The quality on these drop shapes is amazing! Almost perfectly smooth with a glowing luster. Great for earrings.
$17 per strand

These irregular shapes are always fun to work with and give a nice organic look without skimping on the overall quality of your pieces. I really like the texture on some of these, it seems to amplify the sheen and give your pieces extra glitter.

Starting from the top . . .

Small nuggets are $4 per strand (think of the inexpensive multi-strands projects that could be done!)

Coin shaped are $14-$34 per strand

The big nuggets are only $18 per strand

Round shaped are $14 per strand

The potato shaped are a steal at $6 per strand

Golden toned pearls in a variety of rounds. Beautiful luster!

$23-$27 per strand

Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone! Remember that even though you may have the long weekend off, we don't (how else would you get your bead fix?). We'll be open normal hours for all your beading needs. Come by and say hi!

Goldfilled and Sterling Chain

Who doesn't like receiving a box of chain in the mail?

Some of these are new, and some are refills. All are fun to work with! The sterling silver chain on the very top (slightly hammered oval) is one of my very personal favorites. Come in and check them out before they're gone!

New Large Hole Copper Alloy Beads

Look what came in over this weekend . . . more hard to find large hole beads!

These beads are shown strung on our 3mm braided leather.

These are made of a copper/zinc alloy, meaning you won't have to worry about the color chipping, flaking or wearing off. They've been antiqued and buffed to bring out the details in the designs. The holes on these beads are large enough to comfortably slide onto thick leather, satin or chain. They would look great stacked on chain or used as decorative spacers in between large gemstone beads. We currently have 23 styles to choose from ranging in price from $0.45-$1.10 each.

American Turquoise Pendants

These pendants are not for the faint of heart. These are for the adventurous, the bold and the unafraid. But all joking aside, how great are these?! Hand carved from solid American turquoise and accented with antique "white heart" glass beads, these pendants demand attention. Like many of our unique pieces, this is a very limited item and what you see in the picture below is all we have.

Don't fear their size. With turquoise of this quality, bigger is always better.

Gemstone Chips

Some new gemstone chips in this weekend! Chips are generally so affordable that even a beader on a budget can make multistrand necklaces and bracelets without breaking the bank. With each strand measuring about 36 inches that's more than enough for a great project!

Hematite (shiny black)- $7

Labradorite (Grey with flashes of color)- $6

Apaitite (blue/green)- $12

Dyed Quartz (bright blue)- $5

Blue Lace Agate (light blue)- $8

It's a geode bonanza!

If you like a more "organic" look to your jewelry, you'll love these geodes! The base metal bezels are very minimal and only cover the edges of the geode leaving the front and back exposed. That's a good thing too, because the some of the backs are just as pretty as the fronts! Each piece is unique in color and shape . . . there's bound to be something for everyone.

These are the perfect size for pendants! String on chain for a simple look, on long braided fiber for a casual summer look or on a string of beads to add a splash of color. These geodes are $9.30 each.

For those of us who want a bolder look for our jewelry pieces, these thick slices of geodes are amazing. Or, if you're like some of us here, you can hang them in your windows at home while you wait for the perfect jewelry idea for your geode slice. These are $19 each.

Remember, we also still have some geode beads in strands and singles (shown here strung on orange string). Whole strands are $31, and the singles run around $5 each.

Red bronze leather ends, Buddhas and a brass hook!

Those that know us know how particular we are when it comes to the quality of our products. We tend to prefer sterling silver or gold vermeil instead of base metals (non precious metals like copper, brass, aluminum etc) with the belief that if you're going to invest time into a piece, give it the quality it deserves. However, with the ever rising prices of gold and silver, the quality of some base metal products seem to be going up as well. While we'll never have a huge selection of base metal (there's just not enough room in the store for everything, even though we try) we are starting to carry some of these neat, nice quality base metal findings.

This is pretty exciting for us. We have a nice selection of copper beads, clasps, wire and chain, but there's never been a nice looking leather end to complete leather jewelry. Well, these aren't copper, but they sure look like it! Made of "red bronze" these ends have a slightly antiqued look and match our copper clasps almost perfectly. At only $ .70 each we just had to have them!

We just couldn't pass up these wonderfully petite (only a 1/2 inch tall) Buddha heads. The have a large enough hole to easily fit onto leather or thick gauge wire and the detailing is fabulous! Made of goldtone and silvertone base metal and red bronze they're only $1.95 each. 

Sometimes the simplest clasp is the most desirable. This hardy brass hook and eye clasp has been slightly hammered with dimples to give a little extra shimmer. This is the newest edition to our growing collection of brass beads and findings and only costs $1.80 each.

New gold vermeil order in!

A new gold vermeil order just came in packed with all sorts of fun stuff! Gold vermeil refers to sterling silver that has been heavily plated in gold. We actually collect our own silver pieces and send them to a gold plating company along with our specifications. By sending them out ourselves we can control the quality and keep our prices reasonable. Below are some pictures of our favorites of the shipment . . .

Gold vermeil Thai charms. The round charm on the right is actually a bell! The lotus, peace sign and bell are brand new to us.

More gold vermeil charms including (from left to right) Isis, a hedgehog ( he's got such a sweet face . . . that we can't see on the scan), a heart, a lion, and two styles of Buddhas.

These string-able gold vermeil bails make any special bead really stand out as a beautiful pendant. Simply wire wrap your bead to the loop, string the bail on your choice of cord or thin snake chain and you're ready to go!

Nothing quite compares to the quality of these Turkish made chandeliers. The scroll work is amazing, all you need is a couple of sparkling beads and you have instant eye catching earrings.

This is just a small collection of what was included in the shipment, so be sure to stop by to check it all out!

New this week . . .

     Some new gold-filled chain to share with you! Hammered flat for extra strength and glitter, this petite chain can be used for a variety of projects. The links are large enough to make easy cluster earrings, but small enough to string a single charm or feature a special bead on a headpin. The picture shown (left) is a quick and simple project idea with our new chain and a collection of nuggety aquamarines (which happens to be March's birthstone). For a closer look, please click on the picture below.

     Also in this week . . . .

     Czech glass refills, Lindstrom professional jewelry pliers, and fabulous books!

Buddhist Pendants

What a stroke of good luck! We received some fabulous antique style Buddhist pendants about a month ago, but they sold out quickly. Pendants like these are super hard to get a hold of, let alone replenish. This time luck was on our side! We didn't get refills on every style, but here's a sampling of what's now available . . .

A little about these pendants . . .

 These are contemporary reproductions of antique Buddhist pendants and are made out of a mix of base metals (making them surprisingly light weight). Even though they're non precious metal, the detailing is amazing. They're still only $13 each, come and get them while they're still here!

More from our huge shipment . . .

More wonderful things to share from our large shipment that came in a couple weeks ago . . .

I love Thai silver, and honestly, what's there not to love? Each pendant, bead and finding is individually handmade, meaning that every piece is wonderfully unique. They are finished with a soft polishing that gives the pieces a nice glow.

The bail is $3.40 each and the pendants run $2.50-$5.80 each. The droplet beads start at about $5 per 2 inch mini strand, but since they are priced by weight they'll vary in price.

Chalcedony and rainbow moonstone make such a pretty winter-y pairing. The color tones in chalcedony, a natural blue agate, are enhanced by the flashy iridescence of the moonstone.

The chalcedony nuggets are $25 per strand, and the drops are $26 per strand.

The moonstone strands range in price from $22-33 per strand.

More Chinese turquoise! You can feel good about using this turquoise in your designs, it's completely natural in color and composition (no chalk turquoise in this store EVER!). The smaller strands make great spacers, while the larger beads are bold enough to stand alone.

Strands run $10-$35 each.

Jaspers, Jades and More!

I've fallen a little behind on posting the items from our new huge shipment, the store has been packed from open to close during the last week. We've had lot's of locals coming by for their bead fix, but even more out of state visitors just passing through. Could our recent 80 degree weather have something to do with it . . . ? ;) 

It's not often that we get genuine jade beads let alone GIANT jade pendants! The pendants are huge, most take up the entire palm of my hand. They range in price from $13-$16 each. The little Buddha head is not jade, but looked like he belonged. He's only $3.20 each and made of serpentine which is commonly mistaken as jade.

Check out these unusual jaspers. The strands have random swirls of blue and green with a common color base of warm brown. The strands range in price from $14-$18 per strand.

The pendants are top drilled (from left to right) and vary in designs of brown, red and green. These are one of my favorite new things. They are $3.40 per piece.

We'll end this entry with some sparklies! The two top rows of beads are hands down, my very favorites of the new shipment. These spessartite garnets are covered in microfacets and give off the most spectacular glow. Strands will run you about $235, but we do sell them in singles.

The next two rows are wonderful drops of tourmaline in mysterious smokey greens, burnt oranges and unusual garnet-red tones. It's not often that you see tourmaline in this mix. Strands are around $140 each, but they are also sold in singles.

The next two rows of beads are microfaceted lemon quartz rondelles that give off a nice glow. The strands run around $124 a strand, but are also sold in singles.
The last row of beads are citrine carved into whimsical, odd shaped leaves. Each strand is $62, or $1.50-$4.00 per bead.

For those who don't get the emails . . . .

Do you get our email notifications? It's easy to sign up, just email us at lostcitiesbeads@att.net and let us know. For those of you who don't get the emails yet, here's our latest email sent out covering some of our new shipment . . .

We have just received the biggest shipment of the year and you are invited to come and play in the beads!

Big is Beautiful........

The inner circle is filled with plump buttons of bright green Turquoise. ($1. per gram)

It is surrounded with striking, crisply modern, flat bicones of Banded Agate in amazing natural patterns. ($43. per strand)

The perfect medium for wearing a 'major statement' necklace without carrying 10 pounds around your neck is the graduated pillows of Jet - dramatic and yet very lightweight. ($42 per strand)

Center one gorgeous piece of Turquoise for immediate gratification. We have a whole tray of truly beautiful green and blue turquoise in smooth, large holed (big enough for leather!) wedges to choose from. ($1 per gram)

Sparkly, delicious gems........

Start with sweet little flat berries of Ruby - very tasty, ($47. - $60.)

Tourmaline in all it's range of color - even purple and the bluey indicolite. Faceted in narrow diamonds - exceptional quality. ($186.)

Vesuvianite in a rich olive green - faceted rondelles ($62.)

More Tourmaline in little faceted dimes -very nice clarity and includes the lovely golden yellow. ($155.)

Tourmaline in the dark greens - forest and fern - beautiful little faceted ovals. ($109.)

Another scrumption green - light grassy Tsavorite in tiny 2.5mm faceted rondelles. ( $78.)

At the bottom another Tourmaline - all dark, luscious green in 3mm faceted rondelles. ($93.)

Gleaming, glowing Labradorite....

So many shapes! So many choices! And all shimmering with blue fire....Oh yummy! Start with 2 sizes of smooth pebbles for only $10 per strand.

Faceted briolettes - ( $31.)

Unusual faceted tear drops drilled top to bottom. Would be terrific as earring dangles - ( $31.)

Exquisite firey faceted marquis shapes - again, fabulous earring potential - ($81.)

Another unusual cut - little tabs (houses?) with amazing labradorescense (yes, that is a word) - ( $53.-$68.)

Lastly, spectacular '25¢ size' discs of faceted Labradorite with dazzling fire - ( $41.)

We actually have even more shapes and sizes than shown here. And the really good news?.....most shapes are available in singles!

Handmade Thai Chain........

In addition to the assortment of Thai made silver beads and spacers that we carry, we now have 5 styles of their beautiful handmade chain. They all have the substance to make a very special statement with just the simplest of pendants and they look great on a guy, too!

We welcome the return of a little spacer we haven't seen in a while - those randomly shaped, flattened droplets of silver. Used in strand or as single spacers they are terrific. ($2.63 per/gram)

The chain is typical of Thai work - silver, hand formed, hand stamped with tiny patterns and hand soldered creating an exceptionally fine yet substantial strand. Sold by the inch but prices reflect one foot lengths.

Starting with the littlest, sweet ovals 4x5mm - ($28.15)

Next size up is the 5mm rounds - ($41.70)

Ovals in 5x6mm - ($35.20)

Largest rounds are 8mm - ($62.95)

The most lush and heavy is still 8mm rounds but every other link is doubled up giving it a luxurious heft - ($119.55 )

 We never tire of the sparkly stuff........

Start with the fresh spring green of Peridot. We have several shapes and sizes both smooth and faceted. Shown are little 4mm faceted wheels - ($31.)

The prettiest Sunstone we have had in a long time - very jelly with lots and lots of sparkle. First is a thick flat 6-7mm disks - ($22.) Next are slightly smaller 5-6mm disks, only drilled top to bottom - ($22.) Last we have one faceted style in flat ovals - ( $31.)

At the bottom is a beautiful little Amethyst in a teeny 2-3mm faceted bicone. It has great cut and color - ($31.)

New Large Shipment

It's that time again! Our biggest shipment of the year has arrived and we're happily drowning in new and exciting stock. There's something for everyone in this amazing group, whether you prefer bright and gemmy, antique and weathered, petite or bold. Here are just a couple of items that were love at first sight for our employees. And, since it was so hard to narrow our choices down to a few, I'll be posting more items throughout this week so check back often!

These are my personal favorite's from the entire shipment. These are contemporary reproductions of old Buddhist style pendants. We have two sizes available, and each piece is beautifully unique. Some have the appearence of old wall carvings, some are cut and stamped from weathered metal, and some have domes of clear plastic to protect the idols. There is a very limited amount of these available, and they're already flying out the door. The small pieces (above the quarter) are $13 each, and the large pieces are $16 each.

These turquoise pendants are AMAZING. These are cut thick with a slight dome look and the holes are large enough to slide them right onto thick fiber. We've got a whole tray of different sizes, shapes (check out those skulls, what a find!) and patterns but be warned, these won't last long! Prices range from around $6 each to $50 each.

More larimar pendants! We had a small amount of these a couple years ago at killer prices, and they sold out quickly. They're back, and so is their low, low price. Sold by weight they range in price from about $14 to about $50 each.

Want a little summer break from the winter weather? This assortment of beachy beads will point you in the right direction.

Red abalone (graduated tear drops): $47 each

Aquamarine assortment (inside the abalone): $13-$20 per strand

Purple and orange Spondylus shell (far left): $10-$13 per strand

Earthy, organic, polished nuggets, just how nature intended them to be! Most strands are big and bold with an occasional medium sized strand mixed in. Beads are big enough for pendants, but look fabulous as a whole necklace. Starting from the very top . . .

Chalcedony: $25 per strand

Crystal Quartz: $30 per strand

Amethyst: $19 per strand

Chalcedony slabs: $19 per strand

Medium chalcedony slabs: $19 per strand

This is just a first in a series of posts so check back for more pretties :). If you're signed up on our email list you'll recieve an email highlighting these and other pieces we love shortly. If you don't recieve our emails, but would like to, just email us at lostcitiesbeads@att.net and let us know! Remember that we don't share your information with anyone, and the emails are only about 5-6 times a year.