Corinabeads and challenges

I personally have a hard time understanding how that much money would be spent on one strand of beads, it's not that they are Corina's. It's just ME (I'm cheap... I guess, it's just that's A LOT of money to me, and I wouldn't spend it on anyone's one strand of lampwork - including mine) It wasn't to underestimate art, or someone's thought of art, or anything else like that, it was just my belly button comment... that's all.

I understand about a $200 barbie, heck I understand about a $200 strand of beads... that's a somewhat realistic $amount to me... There is just something about $1000.00 for 1 strand of beads that is hard for me to imagine. I think someone else stated it best, I can't see how they would hold their value.

The bottom line is as long as the buyer is happy - more power to them, it's just hard to understand (*for me*)

As far as the crystals comment - again - my point of view - I stated that because right now I'm on a crystal craze, where I'm making some really neat bracelets with crystal, and I would actually *use* them. All the lampwork that I have, that I personally did not make is on display.... typically I do not use what I get - they are more of a collection. That's all :)

Yep, it's all about perspective.

I wonder how much of it has to do with the "psychology" of online auctions and bidding wars, however.

Not that it matters. I think the whole thing is way cool for both seller *and* buyer.

(I'm not stalking you, Kalera, I promise )

That's how I see it. The market for mainstream artisan lampwork beads is currently capped at a thou! That benefits every beadmaker/beadseller out there (in varying degrees, of course, but it's a positive nonetheless). Yay for us! :)

It can still be insane... insane for *you* to pay that kind of money, insane for *me*, insane for So-and-so. That's perfectly acceptable.

For the winning bidder, otoh, it's not insane. She wanted the beads, was in a position to pay, so she proceeded accordingly. Perfectly acceptable as well! :)

could we find it "stupifying" ?

The Blessed Fiddy, Patroness Saint of the Disorganized LC in Sunny So Cal Personality Development Specialist (Full-Time Mom!)

Sure, LOL - whatever floats your boat. :)

There were at least 3 pages last time i looked...each had about 2 dozen entries on it...maybe more.

That's a good point about 'knowing' no one else would go that high. Makes sense if say, you were going on vacation but wanted to make sure you got a set. I think I did that once to get Jen Geldard's "wonky" auction because I wanted it no matter what. I guess I'm glad it didn't go to what I put in. Yikes. I'll be more careful myself now!

Even though I do hear some kvetching here and there (I don't mean in this thread) about Corina's beads not being all-that, I do think her beads are art as opposed to craft. Not every set of hers, but that's okay. Her stuff is head-and-shoulders above the majority of other lampworkers, and I think the inspiration and discovery is obvious in her glass. But it's an opinion, so feel free to disagree. (I also think there're some sour grapes out there in the Corina-kvetching....) ~~ Sooz

You know what I think? (Otherwise known as "Who cares -- shhh!")

I think that money is a sliding scale thing. $1000 would be a teensy drop in the bucket to me if our household income were ten times what it now is. It would be one big shrug.

$1000 is *nothing* to pay for a pair of shoes, for instance, to some women. (To use an item we've been talking about in other threads....SHOES.) They

*collect* Manolos. Some women think nothing of spending $20,000 for a DRESS. So, maybe the buyer of Corina's set of beads -- and her bidding-war partner there -- have lots of money. Simply put.

It's all relative. (And I no longer think it's insane.) ~~ Sooz

You are too stalking me! I'm gonna cry! ;)

I think auction psychology does have a lot to do with why art in general sometimes reaches such high prices... fine art is, after all, very often sold at live auction. Can you imagine what kind of prices we would be seeing if beads were being sold at live auction instead of the relatively low-energy online auction arena?

-Kalera

Deepwood Art wrote:

You know, I really hate that word, "collectible", as well as the concept. It really kind of means that the value is in the *resale*, and not the item itself, not in the worthiness of the art.

In that context, I'd much rather pay $1,000 for beads for the art value, and their value as good material for other art work, than pay $200 for a doll because someone else might take it off my hands for a comparable value.

Tina

F*CK! I could buy a 4 bedrom house here for $20,000!

*sigh* sorry.

Welcome to the world, girl! Here, in Sunny So Cal, it would take that to remodel a bathroom! LOL...

and Sooz?..she's up in "bogglesthemindhowexpensiverealestateis" land! (but, according to my dh who's a financial planner, and his real estate friends...the market has topped, and we're headed for a "correction"!)

The Blessed Fiddy, Patroness Saint of the Disorganized LC in Sunny So Cal Personality Development Specialist (Full-Time Mom!)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know--until last year, I had been living a few miles from Sooz for 9 years:) It's more shocking to me that I could buy a house here for that amount than the fact that it would only remodel a closet in NoCali! LOL!

Haven't they been saying that for the last 5 years?

They've been predicting it, but now it's becoming real. There are now some "buyer incentives" popping up, and homes that would have had 5 offers, all at above the sale price, are sitting unsold for weeks...

The real estate agents are starting to sweat, as are the mortgage folks...knowing it could be just a 'correction', tho, some sellers are still thinking "ack!..let's get this pig on the market NOW"!...

Economics...fascinating...(sometimes)!

The Blessed Fiddy, Patroness Saint of the Disorganized LC in Sunny So Cal Personality Development Specialist (Full-Time Mom!)

I know what you mean. My dh has a biz acquantaince that just bought an "income property" in Kentucky. The MAYOR of the town met with him and his wife, and the local vendors are bending over backwards to help them clean up this property to get it rented...it's amazing. And the investment the man made is considered somewhat chump change (as in Sooz's "relativity" theory of money).

The Blessed Fiddy, Patroness Saint of the Disorganized LC in Sunny So Cal Personality Development Specialist (Full-Time Mom!)