At Legendary Beads, though we try to keep the music fresh and the atmosphere friendly, let it be known that inventory is our first priority. It’s such a wonderful feeling when customers walk into our store and their eyes glaze over as they mumble a whispered “wow”. We truly are on the outlook constantly for gaps in our merchandise and new beading trends in order to keep your interest piqued. We are also militant about making sure all basics are consistently stocked. We take customer suggestions and requests to heart and use every resource we have to meet your needs. There is actually very little we do not offer within our inventory, and whatever it is we are missing we usually are in the process of searching for.
CZECH GLASS:
We are committed to providing the most organized and appealing array of czech glass in Austin. To that end, we are often replenishing our stock with popular merchandise as well as ordering the newest styles of glass available. Our selection is arranged according to bead shape and, within that classification, is further organized by color. Most customers delight in following the rainbow of czech glass to the end, searcing by sight, but there are also helpful signs posted above each section to guide you.
SEMI-PRECIOUS:
Our semi-precious selection has grown by leaps and bounds during the years. The small section of slatwall the semi-precious used to inhabit has expanded to a massive collection wrapping almost entirely around our store. We offer a wide selection of semi-precious stones by the strand (well over 3,000 different types) or individually (over 2,500), with countless shapes, cuts and sizes to choose from. Basic round semi-precious beads as well as chips (150 different varieties) are also abundant and extremely affordable. We also feature many beautiful stones set in sterling silver to use as pendants as well as stone donuts, rings and icons (sorry, no cabochons). Nearly the entire dictionary of stones, from Amber to Zooisite, is represented here, arranged in an awe-inspiring color-coordinated display.
GEM-QUALITY/PRECIOUS:
In response to our customers’ demand for the finest quality stones, we have continued to expand our selection of gem quality/precious stones in recent months. You can find the intricate facets and pure quality of your favorite stones at accessible prices. It is entirely possible to find the stones you desire to replicate high-end designer pieces found in luxury magazines and department stores. We joke about always having to clean the glass of the gem-quality/precious stone case due to the excessive drool of our customers and employees!
CHAIN:
Silver and gold chain has always been a staple of jewelry-making, and is swiftly becoming popular as the defining element of jewelry pieces. In light of this, we offer 60 different varieties of chain in both sterling silver and gold-filled. From the basic to unique, the delicate to the chunky our selection of chain offers many options to suit your jewelry piece. Chain is priced by the foot, but can be sold in whatever length you desire.
STRINGING MATERIALS:
Most people would deem the material jewelry is strung on as the least glamourous part, but today’s stringing options are much more than just good ole’ fishin’ wire. In fact, many modern jewelry designs call for the thread or wire to be exposed. Therefore, we offer a wide selection of the newest stringing materials such as Softflex, Colored Softflex, and Sterling Silver and Gold-Filled Softflex. We also provide every color Griffin silk thread offered in a variety of sizes, each with a conveniently attached needle. Other thread available includes Nymo and Silamide, also available in all colors provided by the manufacturer.
Many exciting projects can be made with the use of other reputable stringing options we offer such as Stretch Magic, Gossamer Floss, Acculon, Beadalon, leather and suede (in a wide variety of colors), waxed cotton, hemp, ball chain, Fire Line, Illusion Cord, rubber tubing, memory wire, satin cord, elastic cord, colored artistic wire, craft wire, french wire and the newly en vogue tubular wire mesh. We also stock threading accoutrement such as a variety of beading needles including the popular “Big Eye” needle, Thread Heaven, beeswax, needle threaders/thread cutters, glue, jigs, bead boards and mats, necklace and bracelet sizers and Stiff Stuff, a popular brand of bead embroidery backing.
In addition to the base metal craft wire mentioned above, Legendary Beads also offers a respectable selection of sterling silver and gold-filled wire. All our wire is half-hard round and we carry gauges 12 to 28 in sterling silver and 14 to 28 in gold-filled. Our prices reflect the changing market price of silver and gold and our wire is sold by either the foot or the ounce.
TOOLS:
Beading tools have evolved from the rusty multi-purpose pliers and cutters found in the garage to the precise and highly practical instruments used by professional jewelry designers. Legendary Beads provides most every beading tool we can find from tweezers to wire cutters, round-nosed pliers to split-ring pliers, crimpers to scissors and everything in between. We keep a few lapidary tools in stock such as anvils and mallets. We also offer high-quality German-made tools, beginner tool kits and mini-tool kits for travel and convenience. For even further ease, we supply the amazing, color-true Ott Light at competitive prices.
FINDINGS:
Any beader knows that the quality of a piece is only as good as its findings. Therefore, our selection of findings is vast enough to compliment, embellish and adequately finish off whatever project you have in mind. Our table of sterling silver, gold-filled and vermeil findings boasts over 1,000 different individual and clearly organized compartments, and our double-decker silver-plated, gold-plated and copper findings table contains approximately 1,200 different varieties. All findings are offered individually and many are offered in bulk packages at a set discount. We also supply base metal findings including the highly popular bookmark and eyeglass findings.
SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL:
The beauty and brilliance of authentic Austrian Swarovski Crystal is unparralleled. Legendary Beads believes that it’s not just spoiled socialites who should have access to these beautiful beads--we all deserve a little bling in our life. Our Swarovski Crystal selection has evolved into the centerpiece of our store--a towering two-story table of shining, glittering luminescence containing over 1,100 varieties of color, size, and cut.
PEARLS:
Always a classic, fresh water pearls provide such beauty and organic shimmer, complimenting most any piece you create. We carry some truly beautiful selections of Keishi and Akoya pearls, lovely in their irridescence and consistency of shape. We also carry high-end coin pearls. In our pearl section, you will also find an exciting array of wildly colored pearls in a wide variety of shapes such as crosses, sticks, coins, hearts, flat ovals, rice and even lovely faceted pearls. Altogether, our pearl selection tops 200 varieties with a similarly wide range of prices. Most strings of pearls are quite affordable, and are hugely popular with customers as the basis for multi-stranded bracelets and necklaces.
ASSORTED BEADS:
Although the remainder of the beads in the store may not fall under a particular brand name, they are rich in their variety and culture. We offer rustic and beautiful wooden beads from Indonesia and, specifically, the Phillipines. Also featured and highly popular are our funky and unique Indian glass beads, gorgeously crafted African glass, horn and bone, and colorful, spunky Chinese glass. Our newest hues and cuts of Mother of Pearl and shell are the same as those featured in fashion magazines. We also have a wide selection of religious icons as well beads representing the whole spectrum of spiritual and cultural lore. Our ceramic bead selection includes characters ranging from the adorable (little panda bears eating bamboo) to the hilarious (little Rasta men eating...something). We’ve picked up beads from our travels to Italy and thus offer a small but unique selction of Venetian and Murano glass as well as hand-crafted glass from Sardegna. We also carry mille fiore. We are proud as well to or our customers intricately fashioned glass pendants by the reknown glass artist Bruce St. John-Mayer and liscenced UT sterling silver pendants from Texas artist Kitty Keller.
SEED BEADS:
Our selection of Japanese seed beads is one of the most popular areas of our store. We have gone from storing a meager selection of seed bead tubes in small flower pots to completely stocking two large racks. Olivia and Helki have slaved tirelessly with much intricate systems and heavy sighs to devise the best manner in which to organize the little buggers. To their credit, we now have a highly effecient system of seed bead organization that is designated not only by size and shape, but by color number and finish. We carry many of the colors offered by the manufacturer and, after our move, aim to stock two additional seed bead racks to provide the entire catolog of seed bead hues available (Yes! Every single one!) We carry seed beads in sizes 5, 6, 8, 11, and 15 and in a variety of shapes such as triangle, cube, bugle and hexagonal. Otherwise, all seed beads are round. The round shape is roughly consistent throughout the tube.
For those of our customers who are seed bead addicts, we aim to please. Many members of various stitchery guilds shop often at Legendary Beads to complete a wide range of projects. Customers often like to bring in samples of their seed bead creations, of which we’ve seen things like seed bead cuffs and belts, seed bead embroidered blouses and silk scarves, and even a seed bead-covered cowskull and faux deer head!
BOOKS/MAGAZINES:
The packages the UPS man brings us most often are filled with magazines and books. Our array of literature thus is exciting and inspiring, with new ideas debuting each month. We carry the most current issues of your favorite beading magazines such as Bead & Button, BeadStyle and Bead Unique, as well as every special feature magazine the formerly mentioned periodicals offer. The book selection at Legendary Beads is vast, covering many different aspects of the bead craft. We offer books on wedding jewelry design, childrens’ beading projects, beaded flowers, prayer beads, “embeadery”, and Native American design. Some of our most popular books describe the properties of crystals and stones both spiritual and scientific. In general, our selection definitely is nice to peruse if you have “beaders’ block” or just need a nice distraction.
