A Winner, A Lesson Learned and My Family....

by MaryAnn Carroll

Not exactly in that order........

Let's start with my lesson that I learned.   Like many, my beading began with buying LOTS of commercial beads.... some at a small local bead shop (which I still support by purchasing many supplies, etc.), online shopping, and some local chain stores.  Well.... I decided that I LOVED Izzy's idea about taking that jewelry that I won't be selling and donating it to Vera House which is a local domestic violence organization in my area.  They are going to use them for part of a "graduation" gift when women make it through certain programs by attending regularly,  contributing, etc.  Since some of that jewely goes back to 2007, I decided to give them a good bath.  I made up my water, vinegar and baking soda solution which cleaned up all, but one, beautifully.  At the time, I used to use all sterling silver and it definitely needed some shining up.

 It was no surprise another necklace surfaced once I had these all packed and ready to go.  I mixed up the same solution and put it in.  This one had coral, or so I thought, on it.  As a matter of fact, it was mainly "coral."  I know that because I had labeled it when I bought it and put a price per bead on the section of the container. What else could it be?  This necklace also contained "faux" coral which I KNOW was "faux" because it was also labeled in the same manner.  The coral was not cheap!!!

Since I know very little about actual gemstones, etc., like many others, I bought them for their beauty.

Hmmm.....  what might be another reason to buy handmade?  You know who made it.  You know what it was made with and you more than likely know that it is genuine.

Here's the results following the red "coral" cleaning....

 I should have taken the slogan, "buyer beware" a little more seriously.  Who, however, has the time to research all of this kind of stuff?  I took some more from my stash (the same beads from the original batch  that I still have) to do a little experiment.  The ones on the left are from the section labeled "coral" and the one on the right is also from a section labeled "coral".  I didn't take pictures of the one on the right when it was in the "experimental" solution, but by looking at the picture, the color didn't change.  Maybe it was just processed better.  I don't know.  The ones on the left were labeled for 20 cents each and the large one 1 dollar each.  Based on size, it made sense, right?

I did find a website that I "think" is the real deal.....  If you want to know a little more about coral, this might be some helpful reading.  As a matter of fact, you might want to read up on many commercial gemstones and such that you purchase prior to the purchase.  I remember learning why there was such a wide variety of prices when it came to turquoise too!  Click HERE for a link that might help you make some more informed dicisions before making a purchase.

And..... what makes me HAPPY?  My family makes me VERY happy.  I love them so much.  We've had our trials and tribulations and still do, but when I think of them, that makes me happy.  Check out our

Art Spark challenge

 for August and share with us what makes you HAPPY!!!  There is a link to how to go about that on the left side bar.

Finally, Mr. Tibbs and his dog Gadget would like to announce the winner of the wood-fired beads giveaway.....

Erin S...... 

You are the winner!! 

Please email me at artisanbeadsplus@gmail.com with your address and

I will get them right out to you :o)

Congrats!

Are there any lessons that you have learned that you would like to share?

Thanks for

~creating handmade with handmade~

MaryAnn

For those of you who are confused about my POST regarding dates.....  This should confirm that I'm still confused!