KanduBeads

I LOVE My Job!

2010-10-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

How many people get to do exactly what they want all day long and be able to make and share beautiful things with other people?

Debbie Jaffe of KanduBeads.com raise your hand!! I DO!! I am the luckiest girl in the world! I am not sure which aspect of my job I like best, purchasing the coolest, most awesome gemstones and artifacts I can find, sharing them with my customers or making beautiful jewelery from them.

If you have been around a while and know KanduBeads you will know our motto... Make What You Want (tm). Well, I get to do just that! Better than that, I get to help other people make what THEY want!!

Sometimes when I am shopping for my new season of gemstone beads I have a list in mind of items I would like to add to my inventory. Items I have worked out in my head I would like to design with or things that I have had in the past that are just cool. Other times, I see something that is NOTHING like what I had in my mind, but my skin starts to tingle. Those are the items I KNOW I must have. No matter what, I HAVE TO HAVE IT!! That happened to me today... I fell in love with glass. I never thought I could or would, but I did.... Hand made recycled glass beads from Ghana.

Earthy natural colors, a gorgeous hand cast texture and the colors... ooh gosh... the colors..... LOVE!! You can find the entire line on sale now at KanduBeads

New Stuff

2010-06-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

I know it has been such a long time since i have blogged here, but with the bead store hopping, shows, making jewelry its been a busy busy few months. Our pre-summer clearance sale was tremendous!! Thank you all for making it so successful! The sale allowed us to make room for some new items. We will list them on the website as soon as possible and we have restocked some old favorites! If you want any of the items shown here please just send me a note at sales@KanduBeads.com.

Blue Agate Faceted Drum Nugget beads

Blue Agate Smooth Nugget beads

Thinking of the Beach

2010-01-16T18:34:00.000-08:00

Amazontie 50 mm Focal Coin BeadsI just got in a lot of new beads, and I was thinking about the beach when I got them and all of the wonderful summery things I can make. Last summer i had a field day with lots of rough organic nuggets which I now have to get rid of to make room for all of the new items just arriving from all over the world.

If you haven't already please join our mailing list. KanduBeads.com is currently running a sale for upto 50% off our regular prices. I have never had a sale like this and it will probably not be repeated! I just needed to make room for all of the new items that are coming for spring!!

Check back as often as you can because new and exciting things are afoot at KanduBeads!

Spiral Shell beads

Peruvian Blue Opal Nuggets

Winter Wonder Land

2009-12-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year when I am finished with all of my jewelery and bead shows, and I am starting to think of new projects to keep me sane through the slow dark winter. This winter it's all about my art. So far I have focused this blog mainly on my bead sales. But most of my bead customers probably don't know, I'm a formally trained artist and I actually support my bead addiction with my jewelry not the other way round. I have my jewelery in galleries and stores all over the country.

I am not a "beader" its just that my work focuses on the natural beauty of gemstones so I suppose I have turned into one over the years. I very rarely string on traditional beading wires or silks. Actually, the beaders who do that (shout out for my girl-y Chris at Good Quill Hunting) amaze me!

I set all of my beads on wires, each stone is soldered onto the chain. I am really good with a torch.

If you want something custom made or want to learn more about what I do and how it's done, please drop me a line. I love hearing from you!!

New and Noteable (A shorty posting)

2009-10-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a short-y post just to tell my loyal followers that I'm still around. I have been shopping. That is good news for you, bad news for my bank account. I have been adding my new finds to my store http://www.kandubeads.com/ as fast as I can. There is so much to show. I got some really wild things, like these HUGE chalcedony slab beads.

I also got some really cute items just for the holidays, I added the lampwork glass Jack-O-lanterns and ghosts

Also, I just added these wicked cool, perfect for metaphysical

healing, natural crystal points.

Ok, that about does it for now. Keep checking back for more new products and a real blog about rocks or something very soon. As always, I just love hearing from my customers, so please say hi or ask for something, or just give me a shout out. Make sure to follow us on http://twitter.com/kandubeads for exclusive offers and for fast answers to questions, or on facebook Kandu Beads. Or you can just email me any time you want.

"Can You Get More?"

2009-09-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

I have been listing some of my all time favorites that i have been waiting for ages to get my hands back on. So, i keep hearing, "If I wait a few weeks, will I still be able to get these do you think?"

Tourmaline Slab Nugget BeadsThe short answer is, "I really dont know."

Let me put it this way, I had 150 strands of the black tourmaline slabs about three months ago, now i have about 25 strands left. Also, keep in mind, that was the slowest summer I can ever remember! The tourmaline is something I always want to have in stock, but the last time I ran out, it took me a year to get more in so there was a huge rush on it in the beginning. I had some customers buying 20 strands at a time.

Chiasolite Slab Nugget BeadsThe same seems to be happening with the chiasolite slabs I just got last Tuesday, (I have been waiting for 7 months and had a waiting list of about 20 customers!) I got 50 strands, every single one I could get. Now I have about 15 left.

Garnet Slab Focal BeadsCome Chrstimas, I am sure the garnets will be gone too. They sell like hot cakes in winter. I have already ordered more from my supplier, but I never know what the suppliers have for raw materials. Last time I ordered red garnets they sent green ones with a note, "All out of red".

Grossular Garnet Slab Focal BeadsI deal in rare hard to get natural gems, when a pocket is depleted its gone until a new one is found.

If you want something, I always suggest get it now. I have only about 10 PIECES not ten strands, but 10 pieces of the green garnets left.

I have a little tiny anecdote about not waiting. When I was in college I went to an art/ artisan show with my boyfriend at the time. I found a sterling silver barrette I fell in love with. It was $50.00 nearly 20 years ago. That was a huge amount to spend on a barrette for a college student in 1994. We walked the entire show and my boyfriend finally talked me into getting it. When I went back to buy it the artist said, "I would have loved to sell it to you, but it was stolen a few minutes ago." My heart sank, and as an artist, I felt her pain. To this day, I regret not buying that beautiful barrette when i first fell in love.

Work in Progress "KanduBeads New Website"

2009-09-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

The News: KanduBeads is getting a new look! The web designers tell me its going to be "soon" but this soon thing is starting to remind me of the film "The Money Pit" Because its been three months! But, I really promise we will have new gorgeous look, here is a sneaky preview, but dont tell anyone i showed you ;)

I think it's on its way to being AWESOME!! But what i think doesn't matter, Hey i want to know what you think of it!! Please send me comments.

The shout out: I have to thank Chris of Good Quill Hunting for getting me into the blogging. Chris is a brilliant artist and a wicked cool woman (get it, she's from Maine) !! You have got to see her work!.

See what i mean? Good Quill Hunting is amazing

The Hug: The hug goes to my Facebook friends. I am just finding the most talented amazing artists and people on Facebook!Great big HUGGGG!!

I discoverd ArtFire today.

2009-09-07T17:31:00.000-07:00

I have been working on setting up an ArtFire shop. With ArtFire i am able to sell directly from my blog. If you scroll down you will see just a few items i have in my online store. But the cool thing is you can purchase directly from here!! Yay!! Isn't technology great. I suggest every single artist sets up an ArtFire account. Those people really know how to promote!!

Lots of new things to see

2009-09-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy putting stuff on my website, i forgot all about my blog!! So sorry loyal followers. I will show you what i have been working on very soon. I promise.

-Deb

Make What You Want (tm)

2009-05-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

I have been wondering for a long time when www.KanduBeads.com will finally get the time to start a blog. I suppose there is no time like the present. KanduBeads.com is a bead store started by me, Deb Jaffe. I am an artist and an entrepreneur. I have worked as a professional product deigner, a jewlery artist and now I finally get to do what i always wanted. I have a store where I get to sell things that I love. ROCKS!!!

Well, not exaclty rocks, the rocks all have holes in them and are in their own way specatularly wonderful.

The way I started in this business is simple. I वांटेड beads that I wasn't able to find for my jewelry designs. I needed rough naturally beautiful gemstone beads. I asked all the gem merchants I met if they would sell me the natural stones rough, in original form, and they all said, "Yes yes, we make for you, 100 strand minimum... we polish, you like better if we polish"

I always said "Ok, I will take 100 strands, only if you DON'T polish them, I don't want shiny." They all looked at me like I was crazy.

The first order that I had manufactured for me was 12mm aquamarine rough nuggets. When I was done with the jewelry I had envisioned I had 50 or more strands left. I said to my husband. Now what.......

I did what everyone who has something sitting around to sell does. I listed them on eBay. To my overwhelming surprise they sold like hot cakes, and I was getting requests for more.

That is how www.Kandubeads.com was born. I have expanded the product line in the last 4 years, and now I sell a robust offering of unusual gemstone beads that are hard to find. I have contacts with gem manufacturers who are willing to accommodate my unusual requests and can get whatever I want.