Prices and availability are subject to change without notice. We are subject to price changes from our vendors and manufacturers and when this occurs, we must adjust our prices too.

Many places on the site show the quantity of beads that you will receive. In most cases, you will receive exactly that number. However, we do not recount all the beads that we get on strings or strands from our distributors and manufacturers. Especially with the metal items and India bead mixes, we count the beads once and make a notation of the weight.

Gemstone comes in strands from the manufacturers. The approximate number of round beads on a full strand is quoted at the top of the round gemstone bead pages. For other shapes, you can divide an average strand length, (use 400 millimeters - a little less than 16") by the bead width to get an approximate number of beads. This does not apply to chips - they come in a variety of lengths - so the strand length is quoted on the chip pages.

Semi-precious beads and pearls may be artificially enhanced. Many methods are used beyond just dye, such as heat treatment, special baths and irradiating.

"When I reorder, will the beads from the two orders be identical?" The answer to this question depends on the type of bead you order.

We do our best to make the picture look just like the product. Our monitor settings may be different than yours, however, and this may result in the colors being off. Also, the amount of light that is necessary to make the pictures turn out right may intensify the color of certain products (translucent stones 'brighten up' from the light source).

Don't know how big 8mm, how many beads on a strand, or how thick 21ga really is? These comparison tables should help!

We hope to add many more entries to this 'glossary'. There is only a limited amount of space for text under the pictures, so we often use lots of abbreviations. If you see a term on the site that you don't understand, please email us. We will answer your question and add the information here.

Neither Beaded Impressions, Inc. nor its employees are responsible for damage and/or personal injury as a result of using our products.

Lead Content Classifications & Compliance Issues

Lead content in jewelry components is a major concern to many jewelry artists and designers. If you make and sell jewelry intended for children 12 and under, or if you make and sell jewelry to adults in California, there are laws that define acceptable level of lead contained in jewelry that you should be aware of. Before we go further, let us state that none of the jewelry components we sell are intended for the creation of jewelry for children under the age of 13.

Note: Here is an Advisory Update from the CPSIA from October of 2009 intended to clarify confusion over the CPSIA Section 101 law referred to below.

Information About Nickel Free Components

Nickel free jewelry has become important in recent years, and there is a lot of confusion over exactly what "nickel free" means. Why is nickel free jewelry even important?