Glass Beads For Sale

Are glass beads from India good quality?

http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayProductPage?productNum=bd0479 Where can I find good quality beads?

Public Comments

1. If Michael's is sourcing them from a good imitation jewelery company in India, then they should be of good quality. You get good quality beads in Mumbai (or Bombay). Usually good quality stuff are exported to other countries from India and so they don't come cheap. Good luck!
2. Shops in the UK are full of beads that have come from India and China - that's probably where 99 percent are made now. If you're worried about quality, why not buy a small quantity and examine them?
3. I've found that Indian beads tend to be the worst quality--they have cracks, break, and don't even have the bead release cleaned out of them. There are exceptions, but this has been my experience. The ones from China are your next step up, and they're usually okay. Your best glass is going to be Czech, and most European and American glass will be pretty close to that.
4. You didn't mention your price point or what types of beads- I would second the earlier poster about Czech beads for for best price and quality match up- you can find those here - shipwreck.com firemountain.com For more unique beads at a higher price point - especially focals - check justbeads.com and ebay and search for lampwork and polymer beads
5. I must endorse my companies beads. I've been dealing with the same Indian supplier for over 10 years and his beads are the highest quality. You can find them on these two pages of my site: http://www.eebeads.com/_glass.htm We're having a sale on our fancy lampwork from India as well: http://www.eebeads.com/_lampwork.htm I hope you give us a try and are delighted with your beads!