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The R&T Extra June 2009 | ||
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Let Bicones Be Bygones! Crystal News
CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements (the crystal formerly known as Swarovski®) is replacing its extremely popular #5301 bicone bead with a new #5328 XILION cut bicone bead. Why mess with a classic like the #5301? One reason is that the XILION cut offers even more brilliant light refraction. Another reason is that Swarovski wants to make sure their products remain differentiated from others on the market (they've copyrighted the cut to make sure!).
What exactly is a XILION cut bicone? It's a bicone with more facets (to enhance overall appearance) and a rounder "belt line" (to improve the comfort of finished designs). Only the tiny 2.5mm #5301's will retain the old cut, since they're too small to practically receive more facets. Otherwise, the new #5328 bicone beads will be available in the same size range and depth of colors as the #5301's. Rings & Things will offer the #5328's at the same prices as the #5301's they replace. 
Can both styles of bicones work together? For most applications, yes! The dimensions and geometry of the #5301's and XILION cut #5328's complement each other, so some of you will feel comfortable mixing the two styles. Others might feel strongly about completing projects solely with remaining #5301's.
This means that if you're a fan of #5301's, you'll want to stock up now! After September 30, we might not be able to restock #5301's; it all depends on what Swarovski still has available. Luckily, our #5301 factory pack pricing makes quantity buying very affordable. When will the switchover take place? Swarovski is releasing the new #5328's gradually, in what is called a "soft roll out." The logistics of replacing several thousand beads means that colors and sizes of #5328's will only become available incrementally. Swarovski will have samples at the Bead & Button show, and a few colors and sizes are starting to show up in stores. But, for the most part, stock will not start becoming available until mid June. Swarovski will also not release colors or sizes of #5328's for which they still have a large number of #5301's until late September. They do plan to have most #5328's shipped to distributors by the end of September 2009. As the transition occurs, you'll be able to find our offerings of both styles at the same place in our online store. | |||
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Great Tools for a Summer StaycationStrapped for cash and not sure if you can afford that exotic summer trip, after all? Instead, become exotic by learning new jewelry-making skills! Even those of you who love to travel will have a fun "staycation" with these shaping and texturing tools from the Lisa Pavelka Signature Series, Kemper® and Eurotool®. They're great for metal clay, polymer clay and other types of clay:
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Cache of Spanish Trade Beads Discovered
Two decades of archeological excavations at the Santa Catalina de Guale Mission on St. Catherine's Island, off the coast of the US State of Georgia, have uncovered over 70,000 beads dating back to the 1600's. The history and pictures of some of the beads are now published in a new book. The Mission was a remote outpost in the Spanish Empire and was inhabited by Franciscan missionaries and locals for most of the 17th century. The discovery is especially amazing because beads found there were manufactured all over the 17th Century world, including as far away as China!
Not only is this the largest repository of beads to ever be found from Spanish Florida, it also provides new clues about 17th Century beadmaking, trade routes, and Imperial social structures and wealth. The dig was conducted by the American Museum of Natural History and, according to Lorann Pendleton (Director of the Museum's Archeology Laboratory), the cache offers "the first evidence of Spanish beadmaking, along with beads from the main centers of Italy, France, and the Netherlands." For more information, and images, read the article on the American Museum of Natural History's website. You can also check out the new book about the excavation, written by Elliot Blair, Lorann Pendelton and the late Peter Francis Jr. For trade beads you can buy – including old glass beads similar to those found on St. Catherine's Island – check out Rings & Things' selection of glass trade beads. | |||
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Online Store Upgrade: New FeaturesAs promised in last month's R&T Extra, our online store has now been upgraded. For you, this means a few new perks:
We're constantly working to improve our online store, and we know it's not perfect. We thank you for your patience as we continue to work towards providing everything you've requested. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy each new feature as it comes along. Happy shopping! | |||
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Summer Events that SizzleStill have a spare second in your summer plans? Then, consider furthering your jewelry-making knowledge, skills, networking and enjoyment at a show or retreat. Here's a short list of major upcoming events we know about:
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June's Free Jewelry Project
Resin beads make great canvases for rubber stamping fun. Bird-themed "Rookery" earrings by Toni Plastino are just one example. Use rubber stamps of your choice with permanent ink such as StazOn™ to create an endless variety of earrings, pendants and more! Complete your fun in the sun with our selection of summer-themed components, including beach, sports and picnic themes. To browse more free designs, check out our online Design Gallery and/or projects index. You can also check out a PDF version of our latest new item flyer. If you don't want to download and print PDFs from your computer, you can request that a Designer Tip Sheet printout be sent with your next order (either call our sales staff or add a comment during online checkout). New item flyers are automatically sent out with orders. | |||
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R&T's String of Events: June 2009 Calendar
Between road shows, purchasing trips and more, there's typically a lot going on at Rings & Things! Here's what's happening this month:
June's birthstones are pearl and agate. Read about care tips plus geological and metaphysical attributes in our online Gemstone Beads Index.
Coming up in July:
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Thanks!
Russ, Kim and the whole Rings & Things crew P.O. Box 450 Spokane, WA 99210-0450 USA Phone (509) 252-2900 Fax 509 838 2602 Order toll free 1 (800) 366-2156 Website: http://www.rings-things.com You can subscribe/unsubscribe to our free newsletter and/or our e-mail sale flyers in seconds! If you've moved, please help us get our next catalog supplement to you. Just fill out this form: www.rings-things.com/addressform.htm To let us know about just an email-address change, you can use this shorter form: http://www.rings-things.com/SECURE/newemail.html Newsletter Home | |||
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