Tammie Posted October 20, 2007 Share Posted October 20, 2007 Can someone point me in the direction of a great source of swarovski beads??? I have been playing with the jewelry and would love to find some swarovski. Who's the cheapest, yet nice beads??? Thanks in advance.Tammie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scent Cellar Posted October 20, 2007 Share Posted October 20, 2007 firemountaingems.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammie Posted October 20, 2007 Author Share Posted October 20, 2007 What is the difference in the beads that say AB?? I noticed a price difference, so is one better than the other??? Thanks! firemountaingems.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scent Cellar Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 AB finish Swarovski® crystals have a uniform surface luster. There are no swirling marks from the vacuum process that produces the AB finish, and generally there are no scratches. The "imitations" often have scratches, swirl marks ("oily" looking surface). Some of these imperfections, in the "imposters", have to do with the lower quality of the finish. See the illustration above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Late Night Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 I get most of my beads from Firemountain too. In their beads, AB means Aurora Borealis. One side of their beads have a special coating to make them have a different look from the ones what don't have the coating. Below is an explination from their site. You can also find Swarovski beads at Michaels. They are usually a little more expensive though because of bulk buying and all. Aurora Borealis Named for the Northern Lights. In costume jewelry, a term for crystal stones that have a highly iridescent surface. The effect is achieved by vapor blasting the facets of the lower part of the crystals with an invisible, micro thin metal sheet. This stone was created by Swarovski® in 1955 in collaboration with Christian Dior. Also known as AB, the term now refers to any iridescent finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mystical_angel1219 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Check eBay. :smiley2: I bought a boatload of these from there, and jewelry making supplies. The AB type are very pretty. Sadly, I haven't had the time or inclination to put them to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammie Posted October 22, 2007 Author Share Posted October 22, 2007 Which ones look prettier or more elegant??? Coating or no coating?Thanks for the info. Tammie I get most of my beads from Firemountain too. In their beads, AB means Aurora Borealis. One side of their beads have a special coating to make them have a different look from the ones what don't have the coating. Below is an explination from their site. You can also find Swarovski beads at Michaels. They are usually a little more expensive though because of bulk buying and all. Aurora Borealis Named for the Northern Lights. In costume jewelry, a term for crystal stones that have a highly iridescent surface. The effect is achieved by vapor blasting the facets of the lower part of the crystals with an invisible, micro thin metal sheet. This stone was created by Swarovski® in 1955 in collaboration with Christian Dior. Also known as AB, the term now refers to any iridescent finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawaiiansun Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Check eBay. :smiley2: I bought a boatload of these from there, and jewelry making supplies. The AB type are very pretty. Sadly, I haven't had the time or inclination to put them to use.Come on MA, get your butt in motion and start showing off your talents. I buy mainly from www.artbeads.com, cause they have free shipping and prices are comprable to fire mountain, whom I also buy from. Both have lots of Swarovski. AB and 2XAB has more shine so they look more elegantShow us what you make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Late Night Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 The AB have an iridescent glow to them but when the light hits them just right you can see the coating and it is only on one side. They are beautiful beads but you need to take that into consideration. For daytime elegant I'd go plain. For evening wear I'm sure they would 'pop' when in soft light hits them. It's really a personal preference. I'm really thinking about this one. As much as I like the AB, I think for real elegance I'd go plain because if you wanted a crystal to resemble a real gemstone, you wouldn't want it to have the AB finish. What does everyone think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawaiiansun Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 I buy both. Most of my clients like the glitter so I've been buying more AB. I'm for what ever will sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Late Night Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Never mind...I used the wrong quote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Late Night Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 I buy both. Most of my clients like the glitter so I've been buying more AB. I'm for what ever will sell. There ya go. Tell them they NEED to buy the plain ones for daytime and they NEED to buy the AB ones for evening. If they don't buy both they will look stooopid and everyone will make fun of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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