Now I feel suckered :\

Christine,

I am so sorry this has happened.

If you can do something for me, once you get them email AH and request a statement in email/writing as to the exact name of the person who made the beads and where they were made.

They'll have to give you an honest answer or else you can return them and get a full refund. And of course, if they give you an honest answer and say they were made in China then you can return them and get a full refund.

-Su

Hi Christine,

Sorry you were fooled, but no you aren't alone. Alot of people find him before they find honest to goodness lampwork artisans and they don't realize the difference. The owner of that company makes sure that he gives the impression that the beads are made in his studio. He's pretty notoreous within the bead community. If you want some nice quality lampwork that you can rely on, for a reasonable price, check out Su's husband's work, I think you'll like it. Kalera also has really nice beads for a reasonable price on her website. It just depends on the style you like. There are lots of great bead artists right here in this group, so check out the AD threads and look at the auctions, I know you'll find things you like at a price you can afford.

Also when your surfing ebay, look for SRA in the title or within the auction, that means Self Representing Artist. Not every lampwork artist uses that, but it is one way to help you sift through the crap until you feel more confident. They should state in their auction that they make the beads themselves, that they are kiln annealed and cleaned. If the price is too good to be true, then it probably is! And if the seller has dozens and dozens of auctions that all look the same, they are probably Chinese. You will get to know Chinese from lampwork artisan beads over time. Just read carefully before you buy and if you are in doubt, send us a link here and someone here can tell you if they are genuine or not.

Oh yeah, and listen to Su, she is one of the biggest advocates that I know when it comes to fighting poeple like AH and false advertizing within the glass bead community.

Hope this helps alittle! Teresa

Wow, thanks, Teresa for both the compliment to Mike's work and the lovely words about me.

I'm just an old rabble-rouser and I hate seeing things that aren't right.

-Su

Hi Su,

Me too. In my other reply to Teresa I started to write "But I found these great beads made in Canada!" and then I thought, but I don't know that for sure, so I hit the backspace key.

Will do! I will be curious to see what they say. I really hate being misled. I really didn't know there was so much to know about beads. I'm glad I made my other post, the group has been very helpful.

Best, Christine

Hi Teresa,

No, it doesn't seem I'm alone after looking at Google. It seems they're pretty cut-throat.

It's funny how the most obvious thing is right in front of you, isn't it? I Googled some more and found a local lampwork artist on Etsy and another one that has eBay auctions. Boy, I have really had my head in the sand!

Thank you so much for this precious advice Teresa. Now I won't get trapped. I have bought beads only a few times on eBay, mostly glass (not lampwork). I love browsing eBay, but it's too easy for me to go overboard, so I don't bid at all :-)

Heheh! I listen to everyone :-) Everyone here is so much more experienced than me. I'll just keep asking questions and be a sponge.

You've definitely helped a lot, thanks!!

Best, Christine

Christine,

Be aware that there are many talented Canadian artisans selling on eBay and Justbeads, you just need to research the seller a bit, first, before leaping in headfirst, is all.

Stick with us Grasshopper, we will teach you all you need to know... ;-)

Barbara Beader and Polymer Clay Crusader

Well, if you do get a response from them, please let us know. I'm collecting copies of emails stating that AH beads are made in China for a project.

There's a bit of background for the company. Minek INC is the parent company, if you search eBay.com and use the 'headers and body of text' function to search for Minek, you not only get AH but other stuff like 'vintage' Chinese junk. And some hideous semi-p*rn paintings that are also shown as payable to Minek INC but interestingly enough, sold by 'Enter-China'.

lampwork -(minek, austin hamilton) and tick the box for titles and descriptions. That will filter out a lot of the auctions for you.

I almost bought some last year, I think it was Barbara that saved me.

-Su

Yeah, I think they have a couple of aliases on Ebay and maybe other auction sites so be on your toes.

Another thing to bear in mind is that there are laws with labeling requirements both in US and Canada. I am more familiar with the US law which says that an item must be labeled with the country of origin for the end user, in this case the beader or if you resell your work then the jewelry purchaser too. You'll notice that companies like Fire Mountain Gems and Nina Designs leave those "made in China" or "made in Bali" etc. labels on their packaging. I posted a link to the law in another thread somplace, it seems like the best bet to me for dealing with the false advertising.

Ingrid

Hi Su,

You betcha :-)

Eeek...I am work today, so I don't think I'll be clicking on that link until I get home, but even then...I feel even worse having given this company my credit card number :\

Hehe, speaking of vintage Chinese junk, I collect model horses and there's one particular model that is always on eBay as a "vintage" Chinese sculpture...once I even saw one that said it was like, 200 or

Thanks, I copied that into an email for myself. Goodness knows now how far their tentacles reach :\

Thanks so much, Christine

Yes, this came to mind yesterday. In Canada it's called the "Consumer Packaging and Labeling Act". The link for it is

Hi Barbara,

Thanks, I definitely will!

Best, Christine

Well one of the minions - enter-china - that is selling GENUINE JADE FOO DOGS FOR $2.99!!! has had 24 negative feedbacks in the last 6 months and has decided to keep their feedback PRIVATE!!! Would anyone with ANY sense buy from them? And their auctions are linked to universal_curio, that has 100% positive feedback that you can read! They are selling genuine oil paintings starting at $1.65! Wow what a deal! (warning: this leddy is nekkid too):

LOL, I looked at universal curios' FB and s/he/it seems to have the market for genie lamps cornered. Hooboy!

Yeah, people buy this stuff :-D

Best, Christine

I sell some of mine (boro) through Bead Art Studio on 17th. The woman who runs that store just took a lampworking course and may soon have some she has made to sell there as well.

Please feel free to contact me if you'd like to know more about who in town makes beads.

- Sandy