Don't you just love faceted glass beads? The sparkle, the joy...pretty much everything about them. Don't you wish you could find some that wouldn't break the bank? I recently received four different strands of Chinese crystal ab beads from Auntie's Beads, and I'm very happy to recommend that you consider using them when you need to keep your costs under control. They cannot match Swarovski crystals (which Auntie's also carries) for sharpness of cut or saturation of aurora borealis coating, but they've got a lot of sparkle bang for the buck.
A problem that I sometimes have with bargain beads is that they are irregular in shape, size, or holes. Not so with these beads: the Chinese crystal beads are cut very precisely and the holes are regular and don't seem to have very sharp edges. You can see in the practice piece that I made above how they all fit together beautifully, even when paired with some Swarovskis. I used 4mm Swarovski bicones along with the 6mm and 3mm Chinese crystals, and although you can see the difference in the ab coating, there is no problem whatsoever with the shapes or sizes of the Chinese beads.
You can see all of the glass beads that Auntie's carries at the link, and the specific beads shown above are available here:
Chinese-Crystal-Briolette-Strand-Crystal-AB-6x12mm
Chinese-Crystal-Teardrop-Bead-Strand-Crystal-AB-10x15mm
Chinese-Crystal-Bicone-Bead-Strand-Crystal-AB-6mm
Chinese-Crystal-Long-Rondelle-Bead-Strand-Crystal-AB-3x5mm
As regards FTC disclosure guidelines: I have received these glass beads free of charge from Auntie's Beads in order to write a review for you. I have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received.
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