Annealing test results for AH beads

Have you asked them about Max?

-Su

-Su

That is odd. They really look mass produced. If they are, then that seller is in for some really bad karma. If they're really made by a special needs child.....I just don't know what to say. Torching can be dangerous for someone with normal abilities - I can't imagine letting a child with special needs make anything that requires a flame that dangerous. The glass doesn't look like Lauscha or Effetre, and the beads look very very close to others I have seen that are mass produced. **sigh** People will do anything for money. It's sickening.

That's exactly why they don't tell the truth. They want artisan prices. They pay .19 per bead, and they want to sell them for $3 or $4 per bead, because they're greedy and unethical.

I received my Chinese lampwork from the honest seller who was representing them as what they are. They're fairly pretty, a little sloppy but well worth what I paid for them. The ends are pretty uneven, a few sharp bits here and there, and the encasing is not completely melted smooth. I think they must roll them in an oval marver to get the shape, based on the ends. Five of them cracked when I cleaned them (in warm water with a Dremel, along with my own beads from yesterday) but I still have enough of them to give to my nephew, who likes to make his own jewelry.

If I paid $20 for the strand I'd be pissed, but I paid $5.

I messaged the seller to tell her they're Chinese mass-produced, and she wrote back with "Hello- Thank You so much for telling me, I think I need to have a chat with some one...Kate"

Seems to me I've seen her name around, as an honest seller. I hope she's not just blowing smoke up my ass.

Christ> Here's another odd claim. It says these were made by a special needs kids

An older kid with Aspergers Syndrome should be perfectly safe with a torch. I have three friends with sons with Aspergers, and they're very intelligent kids with human-relationship issues. They're not "retarded" per se, but they do relate to the world differently. Not so differently that they can't be excellent with creative and mechanical endeavors, and they often do very well in the scientific world as adults.

For purposes of comparison, I score very high on the Aspergers assessment scale.

But I will say that I am certa> That is odd. They really look mass produced. If they are, then that seller

Here's her latest respose:

"You Too!! and Many Thanks for taking the time to tell me, I've pulled his listings & emailed my bidder to let them know the situation. Happy Ebaying- Kate"

I feel bad for her, looks like she was taken > I messaged the seller to tell her they're Chinese mass-produced, and she

I think you need to find a link to the EXACT beads at another seller and point-blank ask if "Max' is creating beads for them, too.

B.

Kalera wrote:

Okay - sorry about that. I am definitely not familiar with it. :) It's sad that people have to stoop this low.

Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Well, the auctions are still there.

-Su

They also have Czech leaf pendants as being made by a master glass worker in Oregon, they saw "a tiny woman sitting at her torch". Incredibly low behavior!

So if she is honest she has a hallucination problem.

Wow.

I'll send you some.

I've bought beads from AH. They feel stubby. clumsy. Maybe it's the lighter weight glass. A very different "hand". I had gotten hearts with flowers and vines. The design has the flower on the left on the front and the right on the back. Thus they are on the same lobe and hang crooked.

I also bought some beads from JMoore. They have that same clumsy feel to them. I think maybe they have a different center of gravity when I compare them to raised flower designs from Christina of Arctic beads in Sweden (as well as simpler, less skilled decoration). I use that comparison because I think the glass is the same density, but feels more centered and balanced in my hand.

And I got some from these folks

They claim the beads come from China, and, hey, look at the store name: "Handmade? Lampwork" Truth in advertising! They have the same feel. The same difference in density. The same difference in balance as for as the decoration goes.

So why buy these beads. Well, partly the price, and partly curiosity. But also, these mass produced Chinese beads use some pretty basic designs, and often something "nice", "pretty", "pleasant", etc, is really all I want. And actually sometimes it's hard to find that artist made beads. Aqua blue and spring green on black may be trite, but it's still consistently good. Often, I don't want a more dramatic color combination. Maybe the mass marketers have moved into a market the artists have abandoned?

Tina