I enjoy living in Amsterdam. The city’s vibe, the parks, the bike lines and all the museums offer thousands of possibilities to enjoy yourself and to get inspired by the atmosphere. However, living in Prague definitely had its advantages, too. My friends who are like family, the pubs with the awesome (and very cheap) beer and the mountains which are only a quick ride from the Czech capital. But for a beader the biggest plus is the small distance between Prague and Jablonec nad Nisou, which is the center of Bohemian bead making.
After an hour and a half of comfortable driving I reached the town and parked my car without hassle.
Even if I had a very specific aim (but more about it later), I decided to explore Jablonec’s narrow, historical streets and a bit of the nature around the town, too. I picked up a map at the local tourist info with a recommended route, and it proved to be a very good decision. It took me to the historical center (with a newly opened vegetarian bistro), through hills and forests and also through a melancholic, sleepy neighbourhood. The villas are gradually loosing their charm and fame as the once abounding manufactory trade of the city is slowing down, but clearly show the signs of the well-being in the past centuries.
Luckily, there still proved to be more than enough bead shops in the city, and I could fill my bag with treasures. I bought fire polished beads for a really nice price (According to the lady the colour didn’t come out well, so they discounted and discontinued that beautiful opal green turquoise colour…), a lot of pressed beads and also some rare ceramic ones.
But as I mentioned earlier, I had a very specific aim for that day. Besides the impulsive shopping and sightseeing I had to pick up the most amazing, custom made rhinestone chains, made from Czech Preciosa crystals. I love Swarovski, love every kind of 2-hole beads (especially Honeycombs and SuperDuos), but I think my true weakness are the cupchains. I use them in bead embroidery (for example in all of my Battle of the Beadsmith pieces: Serendib, Borneo and Safekeeper, too) and I also incorporated them into some of my beaded beads.
This time I could lay my hands on truly exquisite colours. Not only the usual Olivine, Fuchsia and Jet, which are widely available, but also some Rose Opal, Aurum, Indian Pink, Indicolite Blue and Purple Velvet. They are shiny and look luxurious. The only downside of the order proved to be the amount. Even if I shared them with my good friend Zuzi and my old bead shop in Bratislava (They don’t have them online, only in the shop. Make sure to pop by if you are in the area.) and I have dozens of plans for them, during the recent re-organisation of my studio I had to realise that I have more than enough for a lifetime.
I decided to share them with you, and I would be grateful if you helped me to free up some room (and some cash so I can buy new beads :P). You can check them out here. There are 3 different sizes (2.1, 2.8 and 3 mm wide), and nearly 50 different kinds available at the moment. (Beware, some of them are available only in a very limited amount, and hopefully will not last long.)
Enjoy, and don’t hesitate to drop me a line if you need ideas or help to use rhinestone chains.
I am looking forward to see your creations!
Hugs,
Erika
P.S.1: Everybody, who will be on my mailing list at 15.00 (Central European time) today (30th August 2016) will receive a coupon code for a discount on the rhinestone chains.
P.S.2: Did I mention Ruby and Iris Purple? 😀
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