All about the beads we use

We use such a variety of beads in our work that it is impossible to add all of the information into our descriptions so we have decided to dedicate a page especially for this purpose.

Freshwater cultured pearls are farmed in freshwater & grown in mussels. They have a special attraction as they come in a wide range of colours much more variety than seawater pearls. Freshwater pearls can be found in almost any shape that you can imagine: round, drop, rice, button, oval, semi-round, circle or ringed, baroque and semi-baroque. The round shape is usually the most expensive, because of its popularity.

South Ocean Shell Pearls are synthetic pearls. They are lab-created from South Sea oyster shells, which are cut and pulverized and shaped into perfectly round and beautiful shell beads. These practically flawless beads are as beautiful and luxurious as real cultured pearls.

Swarovski Crystal Pearls. Swarovski describe their crystal pearls as the perfect imitation of genuine pearls. They have a crystal core with innovative pearl coating to simulate the look and feel of the real article. The pearls have a similar weight and lustre in a perfect shape only available in the very best natural pearls. They are resistant to rubbing, perfume, perspiration and UV light. They are available in countless colours which is a great asset when designing jewellery.

Lampwork Beads are made using a flame or a heat source and melting glass around a mandrel. Lampwork beads have been made for centuries & over time designs & colours have changed with the fashions. Lampwork beads have really become popular over the last five or so years here in Britain and they have had a tremendous following in the United States. There are so many beautiful beads out there we are spoilt for choice but we do have our favourites.

www.lushlampwork.co.uk      www.lampworkbeadsbyrob.com

Gold. We use a variety of materials including Gold Filled findings. *Gold-Filled items are generally considered life-time products, and the gold layer will not quickly wear off, as it will in electroplated products. We also use Vermeil findings which are made of silver coated in gold.

*A layer of 10Kt or better gold is mechanically bonded to a supporting base metal under heat & pressure. It is then rolled or drawn to a given thickness. The finished product has a surface layer of gold of the appropriate karat, which is very thick compared to rolled gold plate or the heaviest electroplate (gold plated) material.

Sterling Silver. The minimum silver content can be stated as 925 parts per thousand of pure silver, so you might see the figures 925 or 92.5 used to designate silver content.

Karen Hill Tribe Silver. Hill tribe silver is made in Thailand by various hill tribes living in the mountainous north of the country. The silver they use is very pure, typically 95-99%, much higher than sterling silver (92.5%). This higher silver content is softer and therefore easier to shape into all the unique and wonderful styles and intricate tiny beads. On close inspection you will see that no two pieces are exactly alike, because it's all handmade using techniques and tools that have been passed down through the generations.

Handcrafted Fine Silver. Our pieces are handmade by us using metal clay. The silver is classed as Fine Silver which is 99.9% pure silver.

Tagua Nuts are a very hard nut that come from the Ivory Nut Palm Tree, deep in the Amazon Rainforest where it is harvested sustainably.

The tagua nut is an alternative for ivory, which aids in the sustainment of many elephant species. It is very hard and easy to buff and absorbs dyes perfectly, just like ivory. The harvest and processing of Tagua nuts supports the employment of nearly 35,000 indigenous people. The income received from Tagua crops is a strong incentive to maintain the trees. This helps stabilize the Rainforest and ultimately the world environment.