Just... stuff!

Can we just have almost everything in Fire Mountain Gems in a Cooksons.

The UK is dreadful for all the pretty and interesting things and as Cooksons is starting to stock Swarovski I would love to see their bead ranges expand. I particularly like semi precious beads in all shapes and sizes.

Also expand the current range of Swarovski into the beautiful shapes they have like hearts, stars, cubes etc.

The sheer frustrating amount of times I have been looking for things online only to find a shop which leaves me with my mouth open wide and thinking *must have* only to find out they are a US shop is astounding.

So please, please, please... lots and lots of the glass, precious and semi precious shinies puhlease!!! :D

Nooooo!

There are so many online bead shops already, and it's hard enough ploughing through the existing categories without adding horrid plated findings and cheap gemstone chips!

Care to share some of your tried and tested ones.....;)
Barbara

i bought some black glass beads from Cooksons, but i must say, i was very disappointed in them, some are broken and the quality just wasnt what i expected from them. So they are relegated to the bottom of my bead box, hoping that i might find some use for them. Trouble is there is nowhere locally to go and look and beads before buying, and so i am gonna be dependent upon the internet, but i am really scared of getting them that way now, as i have never returned anything (cos i am a wuss lol)

When I started a couple of years ago I used Fire Mountain Gems extensively - until I was clobbered with import duty. It was a tiny order and the costs came to more than the value of the goods!

I agree they have a vast range but some is, well, a bit tacky. Now a range as large but of quality stuff...

love
Di x

Hiya Nic,

For semi-precious try http://www.burhousebeads.com/

Like you Di, I ordered some stuff from the US and paid more for the customs than the beads -:mad:

Hope that helps?

cheers
jules []

Happy to share Barbara, but is there anything in particular you were after? I'm a big fan of buying things from the people who specialise in them (hence Cooksons for bullion and tools, but not for beads), so have lots of favourite suppliers for different things!

The problem is the UK has lots of tiny bead stores which you can never get everything from.

Either that or they are so ridiculously high priced that it just doesn't make it worthwhile!

Currently I had to go to different places to get Glass Cat's Eye Beads, Swarovski Crystal Beads and 6mm Czech Glass Rondells not to mention my semi precious beads... that's four (and upwards) separate lots of postage!

I agree alot of things in Fire Mountain Gems are tacky and I was primarily thinking about their gemstone ranges at an affordable price.

Every time I search for beads, the ones I find interesting or pretty usually are from the USA. Their choice, range and prices are absolutely what alot of beaders would love to have over here all in one place!

I would always like to see more semi / precious stones including larger diamonds. As for anything else maybe a nice selection of cz's

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i bought some black glass beads from Cooksons, but i must say, i was very disappointed in them, some are broken and the quality just wasnt what i expected from them.

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They have a collection of beads on display in the trade counter showroom, I have to say as well though that they don't look good.

I do like FMG mixed bags of swarovski 3mm crystals.....know what you mean about going to lots of different places. Like some innovative storage too!
E