Another Horrific Pic Of Zenia Posted

... or, as per tradition, our way of announcing the posting of this Month's Sale! This picture is so hideous and frightful that the FIG Editors have taken the unprecedented step of censoring said picture to spare the pain and anguish it might otherwise cause.
This month's sale can be found here...
Uncensored copies of this picture are available with a $5 donation to our charity of choice ( if accompanied by a doctor's note as to your cardiac health).

Finding Help

Stolen By Zenia, reprinted here...

While we carry only a cursory collection of findings, Toronto has lots of other places if you need a wider selection. Here are some places to get jewellery supplies in Toronto.

 

Arton Beads- Technically two stores side by side, Arton Beads is located at 523 and 525 Queen Street W. The 523 shop supplies base metal findings, tools, stringing materials, and beads made of plastic and wood. They also carry a variety of somewhat unrelated but totally fun materials like neon feathers. The 525 shop, on the other hand, carries higher quality supplies including semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals, and silver and gold findings. Both are incredibly affordable, especially if you've got a membership card.  

Bling Bling- This jewellery supply store found at 448 Queen Street W has so much bling they had to name it twice. Bling Bling's pride and glory is found in their hanging strings of glass beads and crystal materials - both of which are nearly blinding... in a good way. They also sell findings and semi-precious stones, and although the collection is not as impressive as others in the same neighbourhood, the store is worth a visit.

The Beadery- The Beadery is a little unorganized and therefore slightly daunting, but they make up for it with a great selection of quality imported gemstones, handmade glass, wood, and seeds all in bead form. They're also one of the only jewellery supply stores that offer small classes for those looking to learn how to use tools properly, in order to produce professional pieces. 

Fancy Gems & Accessories- If you're looking for something a little fancier (ergo the store's name), I suggest taking a gander at Fancy Gems & Accessories. They carry a number of findings, beads and semi-precious stones unavailable at the many other jewellery supply stores on the same strip. The prices are also reasonable despite the high quality, and there's an entire basement dedicated to sale items. 

Bead Girl- Walking into Bead Girl is somewhat reminiscent of a boutique experience. Located in Yonge and Eglinton, the roomy and well-organized space carries a limited selection of beautiful semi-precious stones, glass beads, and Swarovski crystals. Their assortment of findings is lacking, so it's safe to say Bead Girl is only worth going to for the ornamental function of jewellery. 

Bead Junction- Bead Junction on Roncesvalles is perfect for those hoping to make quality statement jewellery. With beads and pendants ranging from base metal to Japanese glass, and from natural bone to freshwater pearls, it's hard not to find what you're looking for. They also offer a consistent number of beading events every week for beginners, as well as specialty jewellery-making lectures for keeners. 

Beadworks- Located in the Beaches, Beadworks is another quaint and cluttered jewellery supply store with a large variety of natural beads made of materials such as clay and seed. There's nothing overtly special sold here, but they've got all your basic needs - and even some tools and books - complete with a bohemian vibe. 

Earth Rocks by Bead Heaven- With the ideal of locally made jewellery pieces, Earth Rocks was opened to help share the owners' work as well as nurture and supply for other designers. What's unique about their shop is that they only carry handpicked crystals and stones, both in bead as well as specimen form (perfect for metaphysical uses!). They also offer one-on-one jewellery making classes. Overall, the experience Earth Rocks shares is parallel to that of a Zen garden. 

Courage My Love- Courage My Love in Kensington Market shouldn't be the first place to get jewellery supplies since the selection is extremely limited, and the shop's main focus is the vintage clothing and accessories they're known for. However, if you're in the middle of purchasing a pair of kick-ass cowboy boots, it's worth it to throw in some leather string and hand-carved skull beads to match. 

Artka- Artka is a bead supply store located on the upper floor of the Yonge and Eglinton centre doubling as a pre-made jewellery and accessories shop. They carry mostly sparkly Swarovski crystals and semi-precious stones, and although their collection of findings is very limited and the prices a little high, Artka is a great place to kill time when you're in the area.

Wish You Were Here

Yes, that is Zenia and she's not here! 
She's checking out the selection at Uroboros Glass in Portland right now!

Fuser's Reserve

Just introduced a couple of days ago and now almost all sold out! This is all limited edition, one-of-a-kind Sys96 glass in various styles (Opalart, Spirits, Streakies, Solids) which is ideal for any glass work including stained glass as well as fusing.
Here's some pictures of the selection (all these are in stock still as of today)...

A Shameful Plug for Something New

Long time ago Spectrum came up with a way to produce a machine made derivative of a mouth blown full antique Reamy (Danzinger) glass (see Mikey's Ivory Tower door for an example). We know this glass today as Baroque.
The smart guys at Spectrum then thought how cool would it be if we did the same style of glass but used different opalescent glasses? Hence Opalart.
Today Opalart has been standardized and now exists as a line of interesting fusible glass (of course we also use it for our stained glass projects).
I gather that this line is occasionally difficult to produce and Spectrum, never wanting to throw anything away came up with a clever idea- the Fusers' Reserve.
This is a new limited edition line of fusible glass giving the fuser or stained glass craftsperson a great opportunity to obtain unique runs of tested compatible System 96 sheet glass, in an ever-changing combination of standard quality colors, mixes, and occasional experimental solid colours.
We now have them in, and anticipate them not lasting long..

We also have received Spectrum's latest two new colours-
Chestnut Opal and Lemongrass Opal (fusible or not)

Sorry Folks

The usual practice of posting a non-flattering picture of Zenia to announce this month's Sale is somewhat weak this time.
It is only mildly unflattering.

See our April 2012 Sale here...