Yesterday I got a Fire Mountain Gem catalog update and while just skimming it I found some things that really jumped out at me. Now, don't get me wrong...I've bought from them for items I know well enough, but I'd be leery of buying say, gemstones because I don't know enough to know if the info is accurate or not after seeing what I'm seeing today.
What I'm talking about is, they stated that the artisans that made the 'designer glass beads' (which actually look ok in the picture) train up to 6 months and each bead can take an HOUR to make. Then you look at the prices and they're $1.50-$2.75 for a package of 10. So let's see,
10 beads = 10 hours = $2.75 Would that be 27 cents an hour pay? Hm. Maybe that's enough to live on in other parts of the country. You also would think that if a bead took an hour to make, one would take a few seconds to clean out the bead release that is obvious in some of the photos. Also, if one of those beads took an hour to make, they need better training.Second, another Handmade Glass Bead section lists "Each bead is made using traditional lampwork techniques" whatever that means. But where the pricing box is they say, "All porcelain beads priced the same". Am I wrong or is porcelain a clay process? (The raku thread reminded me of this).
::sigh:: end of rant.