For a long time I was buying only Chinese bicones for the most part because they are cheap. I have bought a few colors of Swarovski bicones on sale recently but I find that their colors are generally pretty boring and I end up disappointed when I see how they look in real life. They don't seem to make the kinds of colors that I really like. Their colors are a bit too bright and ordinary with a few exceptions, a couple of which I will show you.
But, I've discovered some Czech bicones that are a little more affordable than Swarovski, are much better quality than Chinese bicones and they come in colors and finishes that appeal to me very much. Red Panda has the best selection of colors that I've seen so far but I haven't looked extensively online for them. I could be wrong but I don't think that these are Preciosa brand bicones. I looked through those on a couple of sites and didn't see any of these pretty colors. The colors that I saw seemed to be very similar to Swarovski's colors. However, when I ordered some "Crystal Capri Gold" bicones from Aura Crystals, HERE, they are listed as Preciosa and they did come in a Preciosa package. Anyway, I got all of the colors below, with the exception of the "Crystal Capri Gold, from Red Panda, HERE. Betsy does have "Crystal Capri Gold" bicones but I wanted to order a lot of 144 of them.
I made these little samples so that you can see how beautiful the colors are:
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| Aquamarine Celsian |
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| Chrysolite Celsian |
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| Crystal Capri Gold |
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| French Rose Celsian |
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| Hematite Luster Aquamarine |
These last two samples are Swarovski bicones. I thought that the "Burgundy Blue Zircon Blend" bicones were kind of different and pretty. They are a dark turquoise or teal with dark burgundy on some parts. They're a bit darker than I expected but I think they'll look nice in a bracelet. I got them from Artbeads, HERE.
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| Burgundy Blue Zircon Blend |
The ones below are called "Crystal Purple Haze" and I got them from Aura Crystals, HERE. They were expensive but I love how they've got so many different colors in them yet the over all color is subtle. I think that they'll go with a lot of outfits because there is no distinct main color.
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| Crystal Purple Haze |
I agree with you. I have never bought Chinese crystal or Czech machine cut because the thing to do was Swarovski. I find their colour dull and boring. I do like some of the colours with the special coating but they get expensive. I just ordered 288 rose water opal AB2X and with the shipping and my Canadian dollar it cost just uder $60.00. They are for a special bracelet. I am going to try the Preciosa next time and see if I like them but I do need those Swarovski purple haze. Sooooo beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI purchase my Preciosa bicones and fire polish beads from Crystals and Beads for Friends and their prices are very reasonable and their shipping is quick and efficient. You can purchase them through their website http://www.crystalsandbeadsforfriends.com , their Ebay shop, and Amazon.
ReplyDeleteI took a quick look at their bicones, and I saw a couple of interesting colors, but none of the ones that I found at Red Panda. It doesn't say that they're Preciosa brand though so maybe I'm not looking in the right place. Their site is confusing to navigate.
DeleteDoes Red Panda require a minimum dollar amount to place an order?
ReplyDeleteNot as far as I know. I usually try to spend at least $25 to get free shipping.
DeleteGood to know.
ReplyDelete