i don't believe i did it

So you don't have a car, so what? I have a minivan. hehe. AND we're SOOOOO close to Shipwreck. (looking around whistling)

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Jalynne" :

]So you don't have a car, so what? I have a minivan. hehe. AND we're SOOOOO close ]to Shipwreck. (looking around whistling)

ROTFLOL! i'll let you know times, days, etc! Jamie expects to have SOME time off, but they won't be allowed to leave the area. Shipwreck sounds good! **wicked grin** and if you get your tools for Christmas, we can do WIRE!!!!!

If you need to, just pack a couple boxes and mail them up ahead. It might work.

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Jalynne" :

]If you need to, just pack a couple boxes and mail them up ahead. It might work.

OH! will do!!!!

One of the great things about teaching, is what it teaches you.

Tina

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Christina Peterson" :

]One of the great things about teaching, is what it teaches you.

I used to live walking distance from General Bead. They had this attic full of odds and ends hella markdowns...

.Stephanie.

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vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from snipped-for-privacy@aol.commonality (Stephanie) :

]They had this attic full of ]odds and ends hella markdowns...

they still do.

The SF store, I presume? The SD store doesn't have an attic, but Michael (the owner) says there are boxes in the warehouse still unpacked from when they moved from their previous downtown location... and he isn't sure what's in them.

He came to speak to our bead society today, supposedly about his round-the-world bead buying trip, but most of the talk was philosophy related to beads, buying beads, selling beads... creating new beads. Why certain countries produce and sell beads the way they do, why the US bead industry died, and where the "good beads" go.

Partial synopsis: India has horrible glass, and therefore less than wonderful beads, because they can't import foreign glass (by law). With what they can get for the "production" beads made of Indian-made glass, they don't want to go to the expense of hiring the skilled workers or buy the equipment; most are family businesses who don't hire outside the family anyway. They do have skilled artisans, but those don't do "production" work. A lot of the Chinese beads are made by students learning techniques-- as soon as they can do the beads, they go on to other things-- like managing a bead business or larger glasswork. They have little if any interest in the beads themselves, so don't try to come up with new designs. It's much easier to copy successful designs made by European, Japanese or American designers (Kandice? Your green & black cubes?)-- and cheaper, because they can afford to sell for less than the materials costs, since these beads were just practice for students anyway. Michael says this practice (no "copyright" rules in China...) has depressed the production of new designs in the Czech factories, because they know as soon as something is "out", China will be selling it for less than they can produce it. Furthermore, China does not have the import restrictions India has on getting the glass from other countries-- so, they can get Venetian glass to make their knock-off copies of Venetian lampwork... and they have the money for equipment, and a large labor pool to select from.... Also, no OSHA nor environmental protection laws, so they can use the heavy metals, cyanide, etc. for all those neat colors no longer produced in Europe and the US. Swarovski chose to stay competitive by controlling distribution of its products-- like buying back items that don't sell, and by having an extensive color selection. Same with Japanese beads-- lots of colors, as well as precision that Chinese factories can't match. Chinese competition has caused Czech bead factories to improve their quality-- also their out-put, since it is no longer subsidized by the government, as it was as a Communist country. (Michael showed us a sampler Swarovski sends out to distributers... neato stuff. There was a small square of "bead fabric" that looked like it was made of those little drop beads-- not sure how this is sold, but the little square was great. Also beaded "net", and strands-- both with the crystals set in some sort of very flexible plastic... and a sort of square "donut" of cut crystal. He said he may just get some of those squares, since so many people at the meeting asked him about it...). Oh-- the US gets the lower quality beads available.... Europe and Japan get the "good stuff". Even Hong Kong has the better quality stuff-- if you want cheap Chinese FWPs-- go to Tucson; they aren't available in Hong Kong. And the US "bead industry" (along with other American industries like shoes, fabric, clothing and electronics) died because of trade agreements, tariffs, etc. set up by our govt making deals with foreign govts. Kaytee "Simplexities" on

Thanks for all this information. It's fascinating.

Tina

OMTP

Yeah.

Boy, would I love to go pawing through them for treasures!

.Stephanie.

Gotta Question? Search RCB:

He says "no way"... that things are messed up more than enough as it is with just staff going through bins and boxes.... (Several people at the meeting offered to "help sort"....). Kaytee "Simplexities" on