For our bead shop click MrBead.co.uk or MrBead.com

Chinese New Year
MrBead is based in Hong Kong, where the main annual holiday is Chinese New Year.  Called "Spring Festival" in Mainland China.  Lion dancers and carnivals take to the streets and fireworks to the skies. MiMi, Nigel and friends enjoy a roof top BBQ! See a video of one of our past New Years' here.

In Mainland China many people work inside large prosperous cities in the South East, a long way from their poor native village homes.  Over Spring Festival hundreds-of-millions commute back to their village to be with the family.  It's always a big strain on the railway and airways, and often made worse by severe snow cutting off power lines and runways!  For more, scroll down or click here.

Amethyst: The Royal Purple Pope Stone  

What is Amethyst?
Amethyst is the gemstone for February, and for those born under the zodiac of Pisces. Amethyst is known as the Royal Purple Pope Stone, the purple variety of quartz. If it wasn't so abundant, amethyst would be very expensive. Its name comes from the Greek, meaning not drunken. Perhaps due to a belief that amethyst would sober the effects of alcohol.

Amethyst is always purple, but comes in shades of pale lilac to deep purple. Deeper colours are more valuable - milky amethyst is the cheapest. Amethyst is mined in South American, but the best in Africa. Very dark amethyst, mostly in small sizes, also comes from Australia.
                     
Mythology
According to Greek mythology, Dionysus, the God of Intoxication was angered by an insult from a mere mortal and swore revenge on the next mortal that crossed his path, creating fierce tigers to carry out his wish. Along came unsuspecting Amethyst, a beautiful young maiden on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana. Diana turned Amethyst into a statue of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from the brutal claws. Dionysus wept tears of wine in remorse for his action at the sight of the beautiful statue. The god's tears stained the quartz purple, creating the gem we know today!

The Church & Crown
Purple has long been considered a royal colour, featured in the British Crown Jewels and a favorite of ancient Egyptian royalty. Leonardo Da Vinci wrote that "amethyst could dissipate evil thoughts and accelerate intelligence".

Because amethyst was believed to encourage celibacy and symbolize piety, it was very important in the ornamentation of churches in the middle ages. Amethyst is still the stone of bishops' who often wear amethyst rings. Even in Tibet, amethyst is considered sacred to the Buddha.

 Benefits
Amethyst's sobering and calming qualities is why it's considered to have the power to purify and bring peace. It's also believed to boost lower energies higher, and heal at all levels of mind, body and spirit. Amethyst is especially useful to calm overworked minds as it brings mental strength, stability, and vigor, and reduces negativity.

Amethyst also supports all that is transitional. Especially death and rebirth - providing peace of mind when a loved one is lost. As an elixir, amethyst can help toothache, bone and joint discomforts and problems with the stomach and digestion. It has also been known taken for blood disease and balance blood sugar.

In yoga, amethyst aids the 6th Chakra, the Third Eye, center of the body's spiritual power. Because amethyst heightens awareness, both spiritual and psychic - increasing intuition and psychic development and transition from a normal state of consciousness to a deeper awareness.


Amethyst Jewellery Design
Amethyst jewelry sells well because it has never gone out of fashion. In fact new-agers have made it more popular than ever. It's dark royal colour oozes style. Amethyst goes well with silver, clear crystal and other subtle colours. If you make hand-crafted jewelry; design matching necklaces, bracelets, and earrings to offer more choice to your customers. Don't overpower your design with too much of the gemstone - add lots of silver spacers and findings to balance.
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To see our amethyst beads click MrBead.com or MrBead.co.uk

How to make an Amethyst Necklace

These are the steps of MiMi making an amethyst necklace using our amethyst nuggets and fancy drop beads (numbers are as pictures). 
Note the crystal rondell beads and gold stardust used as spacers.

1) Get all materials ready: nylon wire, crimping beads & 5mm stardust gold spacers, crystal rondell beads, crimping pliers, wire cutter,
catches, all beads.
2) Slide 2mm crimp bead onto wire and insert wire into eye on clasp
3) Loop and connect crimp bead.
4 & 5) Crimp attached to eye on clasp, and squeezing crimp bead closed.

6 & 7) Thread the beads into the wire. 
8) Repeat steps 2 to 5 to secure the other end of the necklace.
9) Cutting off excess wire
10) Finished.

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Chinese Year of the Goat - 2015

The Year of the Goat or Sheep begins on 19th February 2015. The eighth of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac and so believed to be lucky. Every animal is divided into elements with slightly different characteristics - this New Year is a Green Wood Goat. Wood Goat people are generous, very trustworthy and always help others.

Goat Characteristics
Goats can be loners, but prefer to be with others. They are meek, calm, curious, and intelligent, but also proud and possess a stubborn streak. They have fantastic balance and quickly learn from each other. If one finds a flaw in a fence, other goats will mimic the opportunity. Their harmonious yin energy explains why they represent peace.

Goat People
Are easy-going, intellectual, witty, loyal, thoughtful, but tender and worry a lot. However, it's a lucky year for those born during this sign. Anything is possible, with relationships, wealth and career shining. Goat's popularity is just as well, as they crave security for everything, so valuing love, friendship and their home. This makes them good partners - best with pig and rabbit people, but with the ox there is little harmony.

Goats like working with their hands, so best jobs are in caring, medicine, architecture or anything arty. They lack ambition, preferring to work with others. Alternate careers are an actor, teacher, writer, florist, musician or a hair dresser.

Predictions
Goats are creative animals that move forward, so this is the year to use your imagination without distraction. Calm and tranquility will dominate 2015, balancing the international economy. The sheep's nurturing will ensure wisdom and good will prevail global conflicts. Respect to alliances will encourage unity to combat evil. Everything will slow with a drive back to basics, compromise and healing.

Creativity and arts will flourish, as will all luxuries and holiday travel. However, although goats are un-materialistic, they like to spend on splendor and beauty prompting debt. Furthermore, beware of turmoil in the spring, and early-winter 2016.

Goat Years
If you were born during these dates, then you are a Goat: 17/02/1931 to 05/02/1932, 05/02/1943 to 24/01/1944, 24/01/1955 to 11/02/1956, 98/02/1967 to 29/01/1968, 28/01/1979 to 15/02/1980, 15/02/1991 to 03/02/1992, 01/02/2003 to 21/01/2004, 19/02/2015 to 07/02/2016

Famous Goat People
Andy Warhol, Bill Gates, Bruce Willis, Charles Dickens, Empress Dowager Cixi, George Burns, George Harrison, Jane Austen, John Denver, John Wayne, Laurence Olivier, Mark Twain, Michelangelo, Mick Jagger, Muhammad Ali, Pamela Anderson, Robert De Niro, Rudolph Valentino, Thomas Edison, Whoopi Goldberg

Goat Likes
Element: fire & earth, Colour: green & yellow. Birthstone: sapphire, jade & moonstone. Western zodiac equivalent: Cancer.

For your lucky Chinese jade Year of the Goat Pendant click in MrBead.co.uk or MrBead.com

Or in our oriental store where you can order other Chinese new year animals click Year of the Goat Pendant - only US$3.99.
For the oriental store click OnlineOriental

Measuring Beads                   

I sometimes receive letters telling me our 8mm beads are not 8mm.  Some people say our 4mm beads look bigger on the picture.  Others insist we've sent them the wrong size of pearls because most are smaller than we say. However, you can't tell the size of beads from photographs, and some new beaders are not familiar with the sizes.

Size of beads can either be exact or approximate depending on the type of bead. Simple round bead sizes should be exact: 4mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm etc.  But chip beads, being naturally all different sizes, will not be exactly the size quoted in the sale - some will be longer, but most will be shorter. 

Bead sellers usually quote the largest size in the strand, this is especially true with natural pearls.  Under 25% of the pearls in a strand may be the full size quoted. 

Nuggets, again being natural, will all be different to an average size listed in the sale.  Strands of beads are usually 16-inches (400mm) long.  Although pearls are normally sold in 15-inch strands and chips in 32-inch strands. 

A Choker necklace is 16-inches long, a Princess necklace 18-inches, a Matinee necklace 24-inches, Opera necklace 32-inches, and a Mala necklace of 108-beads can be of any length!  A bracelet is usually 7-inches and an anklet 9-inches.    

To purchase the bead measure in the picture click MrBead.com or MrBead.co.uk.

Discount Coupon - £8 or $12 off

Key code BEADMEASURE in the box at checkout to receive £8 or $12 off anything in our bead shop. Not valid with any other coupon, discount or eBay, and minimum purchase is £12 or $18.  

Use NOW as offer ends Sunday 8th February 2015.

Only for use at MrBead.co.uk or MrBead.com

For up to 40% off larger orders, use our wholesale codes: MrBead.co.uk or at MrBead.com

Our old newsletters                       2005 to 2015

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