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How to Sell Beads Online + Citrine, Yellow Topaz & Lampwork
You have received this newsletter because you opted after a past purchase, but should you wish to be taken off the mailing list, just click the link at the bottom. This month’s theme is topaz and yellow topaz, the gemstones for November. There is also a piece on lampwork beads and how to sell beads online. Scroll down, or click one of the links below on the html version to go to a certain section. If you have any suggestions for the future, please e-mail me at suggestions@mrbead.com. To go to the MrBead store click here
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How are Lampwork Beads actually Make?
Citrine: Mellow Yellow 
”Citrine” comes from the French word for lemon, and is any quartz crystal or
cluster that’s yellow to orange. The darker, orange colors were traditionally
the best, but today people prefer bright lemony shades to mix with pastel
colors. Citrine with man-made color tends to have more of an orange or reddish
caste. Most natural citrine starts life as amethyst until heated in a molten
state to change.
Sunny and affordable, citrine brightens all jewelry, blending especially well
with the yellow gleam of polished gold. The yellow color is a natural reviver,
and citrine focuses the mind bringing a feeling of self-esteem. In medication it
helps re-establish the link between your conscious and subconscious minds. If
you are feeling down, try holding citrine to lift your spirit. It’s also very
good at healing the body and helping people communicate. Citrine has warm
energy, promotes optimism, and attracts abundance.
Citrine is one of the few stones that removes negative energy and never requires
cleansing. In ancient times it was carried as a protection against snake venom
and evil thoughts. Known as a "merchants' stone”, placed in the cash register to
not only acquire wealth but to maintain it as well. Citrine is the birthstone
for November, and its corresponding signs are Gemini, Aries, Libra, and Leo.
Although the darker, orange colors of citrine, sometimes called Madeira citrine
after the color of the wine, has generally been the most valued color, in modern
times, many people prefer the bright lemony shades which mix better with pastel
colors. Most citrine comes from Brazil.
Sometimes you will hear citrine referred to as topaz quartz, which is incorrect.
This name was used in the past in reference to the color, which is sometimes
similar to the color of topaz. Since topaz is a separate mineral, this type of
name can be confusing. However, citrine is considered an alternative to topaz as
the birthstone for November. As long as citrine is protected from prolonged
exposure to light or heat, it will last for years.
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Yellow Topaz
The Egyptians said that topaz was colored with the golden glow of the sun god
Ra. This made topaz a very powerful amulet that protected the faithful against
harm. The Romans associated topaz with Jupiter, who also is the god of the sun.
Topaz sometimes has the amber gold of fine cognac or the blush of a peach and
all the beautiful warm browns and oranges. Some rare and exceptional topaz can
be pink to sherry red.
Wear topaz only if you wish to be clear-sighted: legend has it that it dispels
all enchantment and helps to improve eyesight as well! The ancient Greeks
believed that it had the power to increase strength and make its wearer
invisible in times of emergency. Topaz was also said to change color in the
presence of poisoned food or drink. Its mystical curative powers waxed and waned
with the phases of the moon: it was said to cure insomnia, asthma, and
hemorrhages.
Brown, yellow, orange, sherry, red and pink topaz is found in Brazil and Sri
Lanka. Pink topaz is found in Pakistan and Russia. Today we also have blue
topaz, which has a pale to medium blue color created by irradiation. Pale topaz
which is enhanced to become blue is found in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and
China. In early 1998, a new type of enhanced topaz made its appearance, the
surface-enhanced topaz, with colours described as blue to greenish-blue or
emerald green.
Topaz is a very hard gemstone but it can be split with a single blow, a trait it
shares with diamond. As a result it should be protected from hard knocks.
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History of Lampwork
Beading
The "lamp" in lampwork came from the oil lamps and blowpipes used in seventeenth
century France and Italy. Blowing by mouth or bellows into an oil lamp flame
with a small pipe makes just enough heat to soften and form this type of glass.
It's amazing the great work the early lampworkers were able to do with so little
equipment. Hot glassworking skills originated from the Syrians around 1700 BC,
the Egyptians 1450 BC, the Chinese around 550 BC, the Romans at the turn of the
first millennium. Today lampworkers usually use an oxygen torch, but the
technique to form and decorate the glass hasn’t changed much for thousands of
years.
Choosing Lampwork Beads
As usual with handcrafted items, the quality is equal to the expertise of its
maker. Choose beaded jewelry in a style you like, but remember that style isn't
the only thing you must consider when buying handcrafted glass beads. Air
bubbles should not normally be visible in the bead – although some beadmakers
use these as design elements, but they are normally round or positioned in
specific areas. The bead hole should be free of nicks or burrs. Jagged edges
around the hole produce a wobbly bead that can eventually cut through beading
wire. Check that the shapes of beads. They're handcrafted, so expect some
variations, that’s part of their charm, but the overall look should be
attractive.
How are Lampwork Beads actually
Make?
Lampworkers use a torch to melt the tips of glass rods, and then wind the molten
glass around a mandrel, a narrow stainless steel rod. Later, when the bead is
removed, the space occupied by the mandrel becomes the hole used to string the
bead. Glass cools from the outside in and the outer layers shrink as they cool.
Bringing a bead out of the flame and leaving it in the open air allows the
outside of the bead to cool rapidly around its molten interior. However, a
stress point develops between the cool shrinking glass and the hot center, which
can cause a bead to crack immediately or at a later time. To prevent cracks, the
beads are soaked in a kiln to make sure that all glass within them is the same
temperature. After soaking the artist reduces the kiln’s heat over several hours
to bring the beads to room temperature.
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Selling beads online is easy. Much easier than selling from a bricks & mortar shop or a trade show. Also, because beads are small and relatively light, they are an ideal product to trade online. You can sell them by the strand, in batches of loose beads, or strung together as necklaces or bracelets. It all depends on your supply, if you can get a lot, then strand or loose will sell faster online. Here are my top ten tips selling beads online:
Special $8 Offer !
Sample our beads with $8 off any order from our MrBead bead store, just key in "october" at the checkout (without the
inverted commas) and click "Redeem Coupon".
Offer valid until end of October only - so act now! Only for use in our store at the checkout and not valid with any other offers.
To see all our citrine beads click
here
To see all or topaz beads key Topaz in the search
here
To see all our lampwork beads click here
To go to our MrBead store click
http://www.mrbead.com
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