Bead and Save has returned with another lamp work bead giveaway for one lucky reader! This black and white beauty features 24 lamp work beads as well as 6 white glass bead caps and 2 black rhinestone spacers. The sharp contrast in the black and white beads will make classic and stylish jewelry designs pop!


Bead and Save is located in Montreal, Canada and belongs to identical twin sisters, Gail and Karen. They say they are "no longer in the springtime of their lives" as is evident from this cute old photo of themselves. They have been a creative pair all their lives starting with sewing when they were just 12.


Gail told me, "Our love for creating jewelry came one day when we happened upon a bead store which had a display of handcrafted necklaces. Immediately we decided we could do that! Never starting small, we began purchasing beads at a rapid pace. Eventually, we started selling our bracelets and necklaces, and when we realized we had an abundance of beads we would never use, we started selling those too!" Now how many of us can relate to that?

As you can see from some of my picks from their design gallery below, they specialize in Pandora-style and lamp work beads although they do have other kinds of beads and supplies in their store.


The impetus to go for a full time bead business came when one twin lost her job a few years ago and the other got tired of working for someone else. Their collective work experiences as a bookkeeper and administrator proved useful in organizing their start-up.

Any one who has begun a website bead supply business will know it takes long hours of work. The preparation for the website alone took some 7 months. "And the beads – counting, washing, labeling and packaging – the initial order was over 700 pounds of delicious beads!" I bet they enjoyed every minute of handling them!



"We loved beads – the colors, the shapes and most of all the endless possibilities – so what could be better than working every day at something you love? Indeed.

GIVEAWAY
To win the black and white lamp work bead set, all you you have to do is make a comment below. Extra entries if you help publicize this giveaway. Please say so in the comments. The giveaway ends in a week's time at 6 pm EST Monday, November 15. I will pick a winner randomly and announce the results as soon as possible after. So be sure to come back and check!
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips