Cazmanian_minx's MFi3 diary

cazmanian_minx

I think I've finally brainwashed the other half! Last night, completely out of the blue, he suggested that he pay as much off the mortgage as he can each month 'because interest rates aren't going to stay this low forever and we could be paying off £18,000 a year if we tried.'!!

I'm so proud of him

setmefree2

cazmanian_minx wrote: »

I think I've finally brainwashed the other half! Last night, completely out of the blue, he suggested that he pay as much off the mortgage as he can each month 'because interest rates aren't going to stay this low forever and we could be paying off £18,000 a year if we tried.'!!

I'm so proud of him

Yay - the converted are always the most zealous :T:T

SmlSave

Well done to OH for coming out with that

cazmanian_minx

Just a quickie to report an absolutely storming week for bead selling - £1845! Looking at my spreadsheet this morning, sales are up around 60% on this time last year :beer:

I've ordered my Christmas stock from Hong Kong and have discovered that for the princely sum of US$0.06 per bag, they'll pack it into whatever size packages I want. So instead of having e.g. one gigantic bag of 50,000 headpins turning up, they're coming over in 1,000s instead, which is going to be an enormous help. To get all the large quantity items packed into thousands (jump rings and head & eye pins, basically) has cost me an extra US$41.40 and will save me about 2 weeks of work, so that's an utter bargain in my eyes.

The auctions are going well, lots of interest and bids now, which is good, and the leather and suede that came in from India is just starting to pick up - it takes a couple of weeks for it to worm its way into search engines. I still have two large boxes of waxed cotton to photograph, but that shouldn't take too long once I get into it. I'm starting to look at a third overseas supplier now. I suspect they're a clearing house rather than a manufacturer themselves, but their prices are good and they stock a lot of beads I've been buying in this country. I've been thinking about going after the higher end - I've found a company in India that sells the most beautiful cut gemstone beads, but they're not cheap; anything from US$25 for an 8" string of aquamarine briolettes to US$350,000 for an 8" string of sapphire beads :eek::eek: They are utterly, utterly gorgeous though - let me find a picture...





- but I'm really not sure that eBay is quite ready for £40 strings of beads (which is roughly what they'd retail at after customs charges, VAT and delivery - more for the amethyst). One of my UK suppliers has a showroom and stocks A and AA grade beads - I may take a quick trip down, pick out the most beautiful fluorite I can find and list it as a string to test the market.

Caz

SmlSave

Ohhhhhhhhh...pretty..........

Glad to hear things are goign well Caz

taka

cazmanian_minx wrote: »

:drool: :drool: Ahhhh gemstone bead !!!!!!... :drool: :drool:
Yep I'm addicted... nothing like getting my lovely gemstones out and drooling... :rotfl: Must actually make something with them soon - I haven't done much jewellery making recently! I need to get my behind in gear! :rotfl: I think my most expensive beads were from Marcia L. - beautiful amethyst flat rectangle beads £30+ I think... :drool: Just don't mention faceted tourmalines though... :whistle: :drool: I seem to be in love with them at the mo! :rotfl: Sadly the only pink sapphire I own is a tiny, tiny wee 1.5mm faceted stone which I'll make into a new nose stud for me (if I don't loose it before then)! Are you going to IJL?

cazmanian_minx

taka wrote: »

:drool: :drool: Ahhhh gemstone bead !!!!!!... :drool: :drool:
Yep I'm addicted... nothing like getting my lovely gemstones out and drooling... :rotfl: Must actually make something with them soon - I haven't done much jewellery making recently! I need to get my behind in gear! :rotfl: I think my most expensive beads were from Marcia L. - beautiful amethyst flat rectangle beads £30+ I think... :drool: Just don't mention faceted tourmalines though... :whistle: :drool: I seem to be in love with them at the mo! :rotfl: Sadly the only pink sapphire I own is a tiny, tiny wee 1.5mm faceted stone which I'll make into a new nose stud for me (if I don't loose it before then)! Are you going to IJL?

I adore tourmaline, I just can never afford it - easily US$100 wholesale for faceted :eek:

We have friends staying the week of IJL and I don't think enough bead suppliers go to make it worth my while. One year though I'm determined to go to the big wholesale bead shows in Tucson, Arizona - before the economy went pear-shaped, a lot of the big Indian and Far East manufacturers and wholesalers used to go over and exhibit. Once they start coming back, I think it could be a very good place to make contacts.

taka

cazmanian_minx wrote: »

I adore tourmaline, I just can never afford it - easily US$100 wholesale for faceted :eek:

We have friends staying the week of IJL and I don't think enough bead suppliers go to make it worth my while. One year though I'm determined to go to the big wholesale bead shows in Tucson, Arizona - before the economy went pear-shaped, a lot of the big Indian and Far East manufacturers and wholesalers used to go over and exhibit. Once they start coming back, I think it could be a very good place to make contacts.

Yeah I could only afford to split a string with 3 others and they are not the biggest beads! Still cost a fortune... they are fab though! :rolleyes:

Tuson sounds fab... I think I'd be in heaven... and possibly bankrupt!! :rotfl:

StuartGMC

taka wrote: »

:drool: :drool: Ahhhh gemstone bead !!!!!!... :drool: :drool:
Yep I'm addicted... nothing like getting my lovely gemstones out and drooling... :rotfl: Must actually make something with them soon - I haven't done much jewellery making recently! I need to get my behind in gear!

...mmmm was that a reference to a beaded thong then?

gallygirl

:eek: Stuart, neither wonder you're getting your colour back! :eek: