Really shiny gold beads

[amti]

What are the shiniest of small gold beads? I'm wanting to do something with 2.5-3mm gold beads and pearls, and want the beads to stand out. Which are your favorites?

 

[battah]

Do you mean gold colored, or actual gold? Rio and Bella both have smooth shiny gold beads in various sizes - I get gold filled but I believe they also have 14k. I usually get the stardust finish rather than smooth and shiny, it's really pretty.

If you just want gold colored rather than actual gold, I recently tried Japanese glass seed beads in my woven necklace and I really like them (I got them from Fusion Beads, I think they're Toho brand?). They're a little easier to work with because they don't have sharp edges (metal gold beads are usually hollow so the hole opening can wear down your thread), so you have more thread options and aren't limited to Power Pro or Fireline or beading wire. And they look great! They also have larger holes though, so depending on what you're doing (like if you wanted to knot around them), they may not work.

 

[amti]

Real gold unless there is something better. I have the smooth gold ones, but I want something with more pop. There are mirror faceted finishes, stardust, mooncut, and a few others. I've never compared them side to side so I would like to know which stands out the most. Good point about the holes. They are larger so I've been thinking of using beading wire, which would be new to me.

I have a necklace saved in my files that I thought was beautiful. Does anyone know what type of beads the little gold ones are in this picture and where they can be purchased? I loved the necklace and just remember people saying how much these beads sparkled.

 

[BWeaves]

I read somewhere in one of my pearl books to avoid gold beads with pearls because they will permanently tarnish the pearls. I have had this happen to me. I've not had a problem with real gold, just gold like beads.

 

[battah]

Interesting, BWeaves. I've only used gold filled and haven't had them make any marks on the pearls that I've seen, but they do darken the thread a lot (which is only noticeable when I take them apart). I guess they would probably oxidize though, depending what metals they're made of.

 

[BWeaves]

Interesting, BWeaves. I've only used gold filled and haven't had them make any marks on the pearls that I've seen, but they do darken the thread a lot (which is only noticeable when I take them apart). I guess they would probably oxidize though, depending what metals they're made of.

Yeah, as much as I love the look of silver with pearls, I refuse to buy silver and pearl jewelry. I just don't like the oxidized look, and I don't want it to tarnish. If I can't easily polish the silver, because the pearls won't go in "the dip" then I'd rather stick with solid gold.

I know some of you love the oxidized look, and it's very in right now, but it's just not me.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

You can use the baking soda/aluminium trick to clean pearls with silver. Use warm water, not too hot.

 

[BWeaves]

I've never been successful with the baking soda aluminum trick. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. How do you do it?

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I place a small piece of aluminum foil at the bottom of a bowl, add about 2 or 3 teaspoons of baking soda and hot water (if the pieces are only metal, I use boiling water, if they have anything that might be sensitive, warm or hottish water). Add the pieces so that the metal parts touch the aluminum foil.

My first guess would be that the pieces aren't touching the foil. Second, are you sure that the foil you are using is aluminium?

 

[battah]

I've had good luck cleaning silver that way, but I haven't tried it with pearls. I agree with LD, the foil needs to touch each silver item. You could manage it for a clasp I think, but it would be trickier with beads in between pearls.

 

[kelluvpearls]

The gold filled/gold plated/vermeil beads will tarnish and they're a pain to clean.

I think the beads in your photo comes from Tahitianpearls.biz, they mentioned it is 18k gold.

http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/south-sea-pearl-necklace/south-sea-baroque-pearl-necklace-mnxb.htm

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Battah, you can wrap a little bit of aluminium on each bead. Alternatively, you could tie a thin silver wire so it touched a bead and the other end touched the aluminium.

I really hate gold fill, vermeil, etc, because of the tarnishing issue.

 

[Katbran]

There must be a quality issue with gold filled beads...I have some that I've had for years and they are like new...others that have tarnished lightly . My understanding was they these should all be to the same standard when it comes to the amount of gold bonded to the base metal so I don't know why there is a difference but there certainly seems to be in my stash.

I think that maybe Newberry ?? has a necklace with laser cut small gold beads that seem to really sparkle but I may be misremembering ! I would think that if you want small beads that 18k mirrored or laser cut might be a way to go as the gold is more GOLD in colour so should stand out more. You could always buy 3 of each and see what you think...if it's not what you want they will still be worth using in a little necklace.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I think the problem is the later manufacturing, Kat. Overheating (even during soldering or annealing) can cause eutonic diffusion of the gold.

 

[Katbran]

Thanks LD - Shame I didn't keep track of the manufacturers...I just ordered by the size as I needed them and dropped them all into their little plastic jars . So someone out there is making good ones...and someone isn't lol I think the ones listed as USA manufactured were the best.

 

[amti]

I think the beads in your photo comes from Tahitianpearls.biz, they mentioned it is 18k gold.

http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/south-sea-pearl-necklace/south-sea-baroque-pearl-necklace-mnxb.htm

YES! Thank you! I saved the photos but not the link so I couldn't remember who made it. Now I know these are diamond cut beads. I've been looking at 14k so I've been looking in all the wrong places. Back to my searching. Thank you kelluvpearls!

There was someone here who made a white version of this necklace too that was very pretty.

 

[newberry]

Amti I have been looking for those beads for years. I did buy a few from Jose years ago when he added to and rearranged this necklace. Jose said that they came from Japan. Mine are in white gold and they look like diamonds between the pearls.

 

[BWeaves]

That necklace is gorgeous!

I've tried putting my actual silverware (forks and spoons and knives) in an aluminum cooking pan with lots of baking soda and hot water. Everything was sitting flat on the bottom of the pan. Nothing happened. I bought new baking soda and tried it again with a new pan and aluminum foil. Nothing happened. I still don't know why.

 

[battah]

I don't know if it makes a difference, BWeaves, but I put the aluminum foil in a glass bowl to do it. My husband explained the science of it to me and I promptly forgot, but it has something to do with ionizing the water or the foil? So possibly the metal in the pot throws it off? I could be completely wrong btw, I'll ask him again.

 

[MSC]

So possibly the metal in the pot throws it off

Yes, exactly. Foil reacts more quickly because it is very thin; the baking soda in solution would ionize with the aluminum rapidly, thereby continuing the chain reaction with the silver sulfide. And the foil must touch the silver for the sulfide to be transferred to the aluminum.