I am currently on hiatus from creating my one-of-a-kind beaded necklaces.
Why?
Initially, I wanted to bead necklaces for my own use and to give as gifts to
family and friends. With that accomplished,
I just could not stop beading. I was
addicted.
Now, my inventory is large enough for me to be in the proverbial hole
financially from the purchase of the supplies for these necklaces. I have the
necklaces listed for sale on Etsy (see my site directly at www.etsy.com/shop/MtnGlen - you
might have to try to access several times before you actually reach my site -
technology?), but the competition to garner even a look at 'my store' is
tremendous. I have sold two necklaces to date to the same purchaser. The sales
were months apart. I am taking that fact
as a show of customer satisfaction. Still…a
slower start than I anticipated - ugh!
I cannot justify spending more money, going further into the red, until I
sell a few more necklaces. After all, my
happiness in making these necklaces is not a valid argument to continue. Well….at least, not a totally valid argument.
Currently, I have primarily been using natural gemstones/stones for my
creations. I have included some porcelain/ceramic
beads for extra color. I am thinking of
adding Czech glass beads soon. Those
Czechs are not only well-known for all their glass work, but my heritage is
Czechoslovakian. How can I steer clear
of such an obvious choice for future bead use? I cannot!
The natural gemstones are called natural because their color has not been enhanced. Many gemstone beads have their color and durability
enriched by several means: dye, heat, irradiation, and coating to name a few.
These procedures are not bad; I just
consider them artificial, more akin to imitation or manmade beads. Of course, all beads serve a particular
purpose for each artist. I just prefer
to use the natural beads in my present designs.
And, there is always an exception…turquoise.
I do use turquoise from time to time and turquoise is always enhanced;
either stabilized or dyed and stabilized due to its inherent softness. Turquoise has to be stabilized for use as an
element of jewelry-making. So, I have
made the decision to use this enhanced stone within several of my
necklaces. To me, there was no other
option.
My hiatus has to be short-lived. I
just enjoy making these gems (pun intended) too much to stop for any length of
time.
Time to go…I feel the urge to bead!
