Recommendations for beading websites

wizzle

I'm giving some thought to getting into beading and would love to hear from ya'll about any great websites you've found. I'd like to purchase gemstone beads, etc. in the USA.

Many thanks in advance for your help.
 

Briar Rose

::smiling brightly::

My suggestion to you is to look up gem and mineral shows, and then find the one closest to you, and go! Once you are there, maybe ask someone if they wouldn't mind getting you into the wholesale section.

After you go to your first show, that's it, your done! Like buying your first Tarot deck... You'll never have enough.

Other than that, Rio Grande is good. Look them up. Also, E-bay.

What kind of beads do you like?
 

Pumpkin

http://www.dibeads.com/

I use to shop here all the time when I lived in the area. Great store.

http://www.dibeads.com/

This one was smaller, but my favorite. The people were great here. I understand they have moved to a bigger store in the last few years so they carry more now.
 

sharpchick

Online, I like http://www.eebeads.com/. That seller always has provided a little bonus with my order, usually findings. And the last time I ordered, I also got a coupon for a free goody bag of beads or findings.

On eBay, my favorite gem bead sellers are holygemstone and laurelcanyonbeads.
 

CrystalTarot

I would suggest buying a copy of the latest Bead and Button Magazine and also Bead Style Magazine, they have endless lists of suppliers shops and details of all the shows, they also have online websites. Happy Beading :)
 

wizzle

Many many thanks for your suggestions.

I escaped from Los Angeles last year and now live in a very rural area of Washington state. The nearest bead store is 50 miles away and while it's good, it's limited. So most of my purchases will probably be via the internet.

I used to haunt the big gem and bead shows in LA, so it's hard not to have that resource available any more. But the web is such a blessing. If anyone else has suggestions, I'd love to hear.