Lucite, a plastic, was first introduced by the DuPont Chemical Company in 1937. It was marketed as an alternative to Bakelite, then a very popular material for making costume jewelry. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, new colors and styles of Lucite beads were created including marbleized, jewel tones, transparents and stripes. The jewelry makers Avon, Coro and Trifari used many of these brilliant and wonderful beads in their costume jewelry designs, many of which are now highly collectible.

The highest quality vintage Lucite beads are “lathe turned”, meaning that they are very finely finished on a lathe, and will not show any seams.

Lucite beads are a wonderfully versatile addition to gemstone and crystal beads because of their whimsical shapes and deep, rich colors. For a genuine vintage look and feel, try mixing vintage Lucite beads with vintage chain and other findings to create jewelry that could have walked off the pages of Vogue in the 1950s.

Below are a few samples of work that I have created with vintage Lucite beads. The first piece, titled "Aloha" uses tiny vintage Lucite flowers to accent the large Imperial Jasper cabochon from Gary Wilson. The second piece, "Polly Wanna Cracker" was created as a birthday present for my mother the year that she wanted (and couldn't have) a parrot. The final piece is a strand of large Lucite round beads in a wonderful, intense blue that are accented with Czech firepolished beads and another set of spaceship-shaped copper-colored vintage Lucite.

The next time you want a wonderful, lightweight bead to add a whimsical touch to your project, try vintage Lucite!

Sources for vintage Lucite beads:

Beadin' Path

A Grain of Sand

Etsy

This is the first in a series of blog posts that I have planned all about a favorite passion of mine - antique and vintage beads. This first post is all about vintage Czech glass beads.

A trend that I have been happily following lately is the use of vintage and antique beads in beadwork. For years, I’ve been fascinated with these, and I’ve accumulated quite a collection of my own.

To start talking about vintage and antique beads, we need to define the difference between “vintage” and “antique”. While there is no complete agreement on the terms, anything that is 100 years old or more is considered an antique and anything less than 100 years old (but more than 25 years old) is considered to be vintage.

The most common type of vintage glass bead around is the Czech glass bead. The Czech Republic has a long history of making glass beads, going back to the year 1200. At first, factories in the cities of Jablonec, Stanovsko and Bedrichov made glass beads mostly for the rosaries for the largely Catholic population. But then around 1550 when costume jewelry came into fashion, these bead makers started making glass beads to be incorporated into the jewelry of the working class.

In the 19th century, new machines were developed that allowed thousands of identical beads to be created at the same time through the use of molds and presses. Czech glass bead manufacturers still use similar methods today to make the luscious pressed glass beads that are so popular with beadweavers and jewelry makers.

The Czech bead industry declined in the early 1930’s due to the Great Depression and did not recover until the late 1950’s, when after World War II the new Communist government of the Czech Republic was searching for goods to export.

So how can you tell if it a Czech glass bead is vintage? There are a few ways to tell. First of all, if it is a large or unusual shape, chances are it is a vintage Czech glass beads. Most modern Czech glass beads are smaller than their 1920’s counterparts. Color is also another way to tell. Many vintage Czech glass beads are made with deep, muted colors, very often in swirls and random patterns.

If you are unsure if a Czech glass bead is vintage, ask someone who knows. There are several great sources on the web for purchasing vintage Czech glass, and their knowledgeable staff might just be able to help you determine if your bead is vintage or not.

The Beadin’ Path of Freeport, Maine sells a wide variety of vintage beads and findings, including Czech glass, Lucite, chain and Swarovski crystals. They also offer free shipping on all orders over $25 and their stock is constantly changing.

Earthly Adornments is another favorite place of mine to get vintage beads and components. They also sell vintage jewelry, accessories and collectibles and have a great selection of vintage beads made from glass, Bakelite and crystal.

Look for a beaded necklace project coming soon using vintage Czech glass beads and Swarovski crystals.

Links:

The Beadin’ Path

Earthly Adornments

There are a few things to keep in mind when making that decision. First of all, you want to think carefully about if your budget will allow you to spend $85 on that strand of watermelon Tourmaline that you just have to have. If it means eating macaroni and cheese out of the box for a week, you should probably think twice before you buy. (Unless, of course, you LIKE macaroni and cheese out of a box.) A few years ago, I purchased an incredible strand of rough-cut labradorite slab beads from a gem shop in New Hampshire - and spent the next week eating rice and beans.

You should also find out as much as you can about the quality of the beads that you are buying. Find out if they are treated in any way - some gemstone beads are dyed, irradiated or made from crushed gemstone held together with resin. If you avoid buying enhanced gemstones, you are more likely to end up with a quality strand of beads for the price. Even if they are a few dollars more, your creations will be of a higher quality when you use higher quality materials.

Your findings and other materials should be considered, as well. As the price of precious metals goes up, you want to carefully consider the amount you spend on these findings and beads. You also want to make sure that you are buying quality beads and findings made from precious metals as well - do not buy anything that looks to be defective, no matter how good the "bargain".

There are a number of great alternatives to pricey precious metals on the market today. Some suppliers are coming out with beautiful, well-made gold and silver-plated findings and beads as well as beads and findings made from copper and brass. There are even some beautiful and well-made findings in base metals such as nickel. But be careful - some people have allergies to base metals and if you sell your jewelry, you want to make sure that your customers are aware of this.

When buying backing for bead embroidery, Sensuede or Ultrasuede are the best deals for the money. I have tried other similar fabrics that cost less, but they do not hold up as well and they do not give the pieces the same, buttery-soft feeling that I so enjoy when touching them. One of my sources frequently offers free shipping on their Sensuede, and I take advantage of those offers when they come around.

The bottom line is what you feel comfortable buying with your bottom line. Don't blow the bank on something of questionable quality. But if your budget will allow, do spend a few extra dollars for a high quality product. Your beadwork will thank you for it.

There are a few ways to find out about beading contests. You can check the message boards of some beading communities like Beading Daily or Bead & Button. Beading Daily has an entire Forum dedicated to contests and competitions. You can also check with your local Bead Society or Arts Council.

Once you find a contest that you want to enter, it's time to figure out which piece to submit. Some contests have specific rules about when a piece has to have been created. Bead & Button's Bead Dreams competition requires that a piece be completed during twelve months leading up to the deadline for that year's contest. But I've also entered other local contests where I submitted a piece that had been created two or three years ago. It's always best to check the rules and read everything carefully before submitting your piece.

All other things aside, entering a contest for the first time (or the fiftieth time!) can be a scary thing. You are putting your artwork out there for other people to judge, and having your work rejected by other beaders can be hard to take. Don't let a rejection make you feel bad about your beadwork. It doesn't mean that you don't do great work. Your work is probably just as good as everyone else's - it just wasn't accepted by this particular contest.

If you are nervous about entering a contest but still want to take the plunge, try a small contest first. Look at websites like Beaders' Showcase and check their message boards - they have beading challenges that you can enter every month to get your feet wet. Or you can start your own challenge with your beading friends. Just keep it friendly and laid-back to start.

As for knowing what piece to enter in a contest, it all depends on what the rules of the contest are and, to some extent, what your instinct tells you. If you make a piece that just jumps off the table at you, then maybe it's time to look for a contest to enter.

And if you're still a little unsure about entering a contest all by yourself, do what my friend and I decided to do - enter it with a buddy. We picked two contests and are working away at our entries. We can bounce our ideas back and forth off of each other and we can go to each other for help if one of us gets stuck. Sometimes it really helps to let someone else look at your work - they might see things in a whole different way than you would.

Now that you're inspired to create something to put out into the world, here are a few contests going on that you might want to enter. Or make your own contest and post it on the About.com forums.

The Soft Flex Company - Flex Your Creativity

Scarlett Lanson, The Beader's Muse - Use the Muse Contest

The Land of Odds - Enter the Ugly Necklace Contest