I used a gift certificate I received for Christmas to
Artbeads.com to buy nothing but
Metallite beads. What is Metallite you ask? It is a new product made in Korea by ZambaPro and offered for sale by
Artbeads.com. With silver prices climbing higher every day, I thought this could be worth checking out.
As I shopped for these beads, what struck me most was the
wide selection that was available. There were animal beads, floral beads, alphabet beads, spacer beads and beads in a variety of geometric shapes. Each bead was intricately marked and looked very nice. I made my selection and waited patiently for my white bubble envelope with its little purple packet.
I was pleasantly surprised when I received my beads. The beads were well designed and eye-catching. Very lightweight, after all they are made of plastic. Each bead is created by pouring acrylic plastic into a mold, then electroplating the plastic bead with a metal finish. These
Metallite beads sold at Artbeads.com are subject to an extra plating process to produce a high quality product with increased durability. Light weight and light on the pocketbook too, you got to love that.
Because of their light weight, they were great for earrings. If you like large chunky earrings, you could use the metallized beads and still feel no weight on your ears. Look at the two pairs I made. I think they turned out beautiful. They are currently for sale in my
Ruby Lane shop, Sundancegems.
The findings used for these earrings are not of Metallite, only the beads. You can read more about the earrings at
Sundancegems.
I think they are also great for long necklaces. We all know how metal beads can add tremendous weight to long necklaces. So I tried one, take a look! The gemstones added some weight to the pieces of jewelry made from Metallite to give it a nice substantial feel. Without the gemstones the pieces would have been too light and feel too much like costume jewelry.
Metallite provided a nice change from the expensive metal bead and Artbeads.com has now introduced a new line of
Metallite beads in gold. (Note to self: get some).
If you are looking for inexpensive gold and silver colored metal substitutes for your jewelry designs, also try out their line of
gold plated pewter beads and
silver/rhodium plated pewter beads. Besides their beauty and variety, these beads are made in the USA and lead-free!
Disclosure: I am not being paid by Artbeads.com for my endorsement of any of the products reviewed in my blog postings.
