Though there’s been buzz about this for awhile, the official press release arrived this week about the new Crystallized – Swarovski Elements Xilion bead. Called an enhancement of the popular bicone shape (5301), the Xilion (5328) has more facets and a hole with rounded edges to “amplify sparkle” and...

Since I started working at BeadStyle , I have become more aware of jewelry on TV, on my friends, in the pages of fashion magazines, and in stores. I am always comparing these pieces (to my friends' amusement) to something we've done at BeadStyle . My friends have even started doing it, pointing...

Recently, I inherited a canister of beads from a deceased relative, which got me thinking a lot about vintage beads. With the word “vintage” at the forefront of my mind, I began hearing more (or at least remembering more of what I heard) about vintage beads. But I still didn’t have a good grasp of what...