What better way to begin the new year than with something delicious to add to your bead stash! Let me be the one to dangle some temptation in front of you in the way of delectable vintage glass must-haves. We’re wasting time! Let’s jump in!

These strands are whimsical, fun, addicting and full of potential! At approximately 12” long, these little press molded gems have a menagerie of shapes that gives the strand tons of texture. The most common colors are all in an opaque glass, including red, yellow, aqua blue, tan and white. But depending on the strand, the shapes vary from strand to strand. You may find melon shapes, fluted interlocking beads or an array of flower styles. Own a strand of these and a whole bunch of possibilities opens up for you. Do you string them as they are? Should you break them up? Should you get more than one strand and mix and match up the beads into one long strand? Think of the design options! We carry these strands when we can find them. Check out the vintage glass section to see what colors we may be hoarding.

Speaking of opaque beads… these glass bead caps have graced our store occasionally. They’re a brilliant little shape that can be used in so many ways. Cup them on either side of a round bead, dangle them with drippy strands of seed beads or drops coming from them to look like little drowsy flowers. Insert them inside one another to make a cool texture in your strand. My favorite way to use them is the bead cap, because it frames your round bead and makes a great variation in the texture of the strand. I’ve been lucky enough to find them in my travels in transparent colors, and in one case a crackled transparent. Yum!

 

Don’t you wonder about the brilliant mind of Swarovski? I do. How can anyone come up with the brilliant shapes, colors and brilliance of some of these Swarovski crystals? The Pagoda bead is so incredible. It actually come with the holes of the beads in two ways. They call one a left bead and the other a right bead, and that way if you wish to string them with all the fronts showing you can. If you string all of the lefts on to a strand, then the beads would alternate front and back, and the back of the bead would show the sterling coating. I’ve seen so many versions of design with this bead. My favorite was of a lantern necklace where the Pagodas were strung in a circle with a round crystal on the top and bottom, creating a little lantern shape. I’ve also seen them in collage brooches and earrings of designs from years passed. What are you going to do with it?

 

Let me begin with the statement that I’m not encouraging anyone to buy all these beads up, since I have a diabolical plan to do just that myself. But there are many of them, so I guess I could spare a few. These are glass snail shells. That’s right. Glass sea shells in beautiful colors, made by German glass beadmakers from back in the day. They’re perfect, and simple and they’re SEASHELLS. They’re amazing! Ok, I’m going to stop talking about them now. Get them while you can, otherwise you forfeit them to me. I mean it. I give you until March 1st, then I move in for the kill. GO!

This one is described as a ‘Rare Antique Czech Etched Leaded Glass Deco Pendant’ and at 30x45 mm it has some hutzpah to it. I happen to own a purple one, but don’t consider yourself lucky to have one in that color. I’m resisting the urge to yell, “Nyah! Nyah!” but I will tell you that you can find them on our site in sapphire and topaz. Deco style has clean cut lines, geometric patterns and is really a blend of all the styles of the era of the 20’s and 30’s. Simplistic, linear and beautiful. And speaking of Deco…

 

These Deco fan pendants are graceful, lovely and rare. Alternating in frosted glass and clear glass spines, or you can find them in a sapphire color. I admire the Deco era for its simplicity and grace. That was a great time for all elements of design, from architecture to adornment.

These Deco fan pendants are graceful, lovely and rare. Alternating in frosted glass and clear glass spines, or you can find them in a sapphire color. I admire the Deco era for its simplicity and grace. That was a great time for all elements of design, from architecture to adornment.