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Wood, Nut, Bone, Simulated Bone and Ivory, Amber Beads — Beads by Nature but Not Stone!

To round out the ethnic look, or invent a new look entirely. Here's some fun choices in non-stone beads. All are lightweight - an advantage when making sizeable jewelry!

Wood: Wood - lightweight, good for guy jewelry, or using them as a base for beading over with netting techniques.

Tagua Nut — “Vegetable Ivory”: Carved or sliced from the seed of the Tagua, or Ivory Palm. (Phytelephas aequatorialis) (Gobs more info and pictures here - will open in new window.) The nut from this tree, while pulpy and edible when new, hardens with time into a creamy white seed, about the size of an egg. These seeds can be carved, dyed, painted, used to simulate ivory, or go beyond that to be medium of their own! This is what we know as the Tagua nut, or vegetable ivory!

Bone Beads: Hand selected, as most of the bone beads we see are rather crudely made, or are indistinguishable from plastic! We prefer to pass on those. Mostly made in India or China, and are probably cow bone.

Amber: Amber - fossilized tree resin. The soft and meltable nature of Amber lends itself to reprocessing, such that they are huge facilities in Russia, melting down low-grade Amber and refining it and re-manufacturing it into stunning beads of breath-taking quality. We try to distinguish "Natural" Amber - unprocessed except for the shaping and polishing process - and other Ambers that have been heavily processed (where we know).

Resin — Simulated Wood, Ivory: Those of you who know us, know that we have avoided "plastic" beads for a long time - preferring to stock better quality beads for making better quality and heirloom jewelry. However, some extremely nice beads are now available that are really quite lovely - and are made of resins, polymers or other man-made items. In particular - we thought these beads were nice, and they do have the added benefit of being lightweigh, despite their significant size.

We try to choose consistent stock, but the nature of natural beads is that there will be inconsistency between strands and between individual beads.

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s19434
Amber Beads - 2 Hole Faceted Square - Cognac Amber - Natural (1)
Faceted on one side, flat on the back. 10mm x 10mm By the each.
Price: $ 1.50
Quantity:
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s19433
Amber Beads - Half Moons - Cognac Amber - Natural (1)
Cute half moon or half circle beads. Single hole. 10mm x 15mm x 3.5mm By the each.
Price: $ 2.30
Quantity:
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28400740-07
Resin Beads - 20 x 32 mm Crackle Gooseberries - Vintage Ivory (1)
Big but light! Lovely smooth oval shape with cool crackle pattern. Like some big stone fruit from a buried tomb. 20mm x 32mm By the each.
Price: $ 0.95
Quantity:
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28400740-02
Resin Beads - 20 x 32 mm Crackle Gooseberries - Topaz (1)
Big but light! Lovely smooth oval shape with cool crackle pattern. Like some big stone fruit from a buried tomb. The rich warm amber colour of these make them resemble amber - and their light weight is consistent with amber too, making them a consistent amber simulant. 20mm x 32mm By the each.
Price: $ 0.95
Quantity:
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28400740-05
Resin Beads - 20 x 32 mm Crackle Gooseberries - Olivine (1)
Big but light! Lovely smooth oval shape with cool crackle pattern. Like some big stone fruit from a buried tomb. These have a vaguely translucent quality that makes them look jade-like - but they weigh a fraction of the real thing. 20mm x 32mm By the each.
Price: $ 0.95
Quantity:
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28400730-02
Resin Beads - 16 mm Crackle Rounds - Topaz (1)
Big but light! Lovely smooth round shape with cool crackle pattern. The rich warm amber colour of these make them resemble amber - and their light weight is consistent with amber too, making them a consistent amber simulant. 16mm By the each.
Price: $ 0.25
Quantity:
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28400730-05
Resin Beads - 16 mm Crackle Rounds - Olivine (1)
Big but light! Lovely smooth round shape with cool crackle pattern. Translucent, the colour of kiwi fruit. Really look like a berry. 16mm By the each.
Price: $ 0.25
Quantity:
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28400730-06
Resin Beads - 16 mm Crackle Rounds - Mint (1)
Big but light! Lovely smooth round shape with cool crackle pattern. 16mm By the each.
Price: $ 0.25
Quantity:
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29601003
Seedpod - Balimbing Cockles - Toasty Brown (1)
Balimbing is Starfruit - so how this relates to that, I'm not sure, whether this is the inner core or seedpod, or something else entirely. Quite handsome, with a hard texture that is reminiscent of shells. Lightweight. 16mm x 28mm x 12mm By the each.
Price: $ 0.40
Quantity:
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s19632
Stone Beads - Tumbled Nuggets - Amber (1)
Sizable - but very varied in shape. 15mm x 25mm By the each.
Price: $ 5.00
Quantity:
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27690062
Stone Beads - Tumbled Nuggets - Amber (Reconstituted) (strand)
Reconstituted Amber. 7 - 8mm x 7 - 11mm Approx. 45 beads on 17 inch strand. (strand)
Price: $ 7.88
Quantity:
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s16206
Tagua Nut - Slices - Oh! Pink (1)
Tagua nut - seed of the Phytelephas aequatorialis - known as vegetable ivory. A slice, sanded, coloured and polished. Lightweight. Size varies. ~30 - 50mm Hole is front to back. By the each.
Price: $ 2.80
Quantity:
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s16211
Tagua Nut - Slices - Dark Persimmon (1)
Tagua nut - seed of the Phytelephas aequatorialis - known as vegetable ivory. A slice, sanded, coloured and polished. Lightweight. Size varies. ~30 - 50mm Hole is front to back. By the each.
Price: $ 2.80
Quantity:
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s16205
Tagua Nut - Slices - Dried Banana (1)
Tagua nut - seed of the Phytelephas aequatorialis - known as vegetable ivory. A slice, sanded, coloured and polished. Lightweight. Size varies. ~30 - 50mm Hole is front to back. By the each.
Price: $ 2.80
Quantity:
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s16209
Tagua Nut - Slices - Tahitian Teal (1)
Tagua nut - seed of the Phytelephas aequatorialis - known as vegetable ivory. A slice, sanded, coloured and polished. Lightweight. Size varies. ~30 - 50mm Hole is front to back. By the each.
Price: $ 2.80
Quantity:
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s16210
Tagua Nut - Slices - Tropic Turquoise (1)
Tagua nut - seed of the Phytelephas aequatorialis - known as vegetable ivory. A slice, sanded, coloured and polished. Lightweight. Size varies. ~30 - 50mm Hole is front to back. By the each.
Price: $ 2.80
Quantity:
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s23517
Tropical Palm Resin Beads - Branch Slices - Branching Out (1)
Slices of a branch, impregnated with resin to prevent decay and to make durable and glossy. Each one different. How cool would it be to make some woodsy elf themed piece with these. Some even have little twig stubbies for the ultimate in authenticity. Made in Philippine. 20mm x 30mm x 10mm Hole is lengthwise. By the each.
Price: $ 2.10
Quantity:
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s23514
Tropical Palm Resin Beads - Flat Oval - Press Leaf plus Sacking (1)
The leafs of a palm or similar plant, in embraced in resin. Intriquingly - these have a stripe of loose weave fabric, like sacking striped through the centre. So light - they practically float off your hand. Big. Really cool pattern. Very sophisticated and earthy at the same time. Made in Philippine. 30mm x 40mm x 10mm By the each.
Price: $ 5.65
Quantity:
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s23516
Tropical Palm Resin Beads - Flat Round - Sliced Pieces (1)
The leaves or stalks of a palm or similar plant, chopped up and in embraced in resin. So light - they practically float away from you. Large! Positively Dwynonian. Really cool pattern. Very sophisticated and earthy at the same time. Made in Philippine. 60mm x 60mm x 9mm Hole is corner to corner. By the each.
Price: $ 6.95
Quantity:
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s23512
Tropical Palm Resin Beads - Flat Round - Palm Stalk Butterfly Crackle (1)
The stalks of a palm or similar plant, in embraced in resin. So light - they practically float. Big. Really cool pattern. Very sophisticated and earthy at the same time. Made in Philippine. 50mm x 50mm x 9mm By the each.
Price: $ 6.65
Quantity:
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s23508
Wood Beads - 11 x 34 mm Bicone - Warm Brown (1)
Silky smooth wood bicones. Lightweight. 11mm x 34mm By the each.
Price: $ 1.05
Quantity:
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s24936
Wood Beads - 15 mm Coin - Tiger Ebony (1)
Lightweight tropical wood. Made in Philippine. 15mm By the each.
Price: $ 1.10
Quantity:
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s23506
Wood Beads - 15 mm Coin - Warm Brown (1)
Silky smooth wood disks. Lightweight. 15mm x 15mm x 4mm By the each.
Price: $ 0.30
Quantity:
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s24930
Wood Beads - 16 mm Coin - Bayong Wood (1)
Pale, lightweight tropical wood. Made in Philippine. 16mm By the each.
Price: $ 1.10
Quantity:
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s23511
Wood Beads - 20 mm Coin - Natural (1)
Silky smooth wood disks. Lightweight. Unstained, pale, natural wood. 20mm x 20mm x 6mm By the each.
Price: $ 0.55
Quantity:
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s23510
Wood Beads - 20 mm Coin - Jet Black (1)
Silky smooth wood disks. Lightweight. 20mm x 20mm x 6mm By the each.
Price: $ 0.55
Quantity:
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s24933
Wood Beads - 28 mm Puff Coin - Stained Redwood (1)
Lightweight tropical wood. Made in Philippine. 28mm By the each.
Price: $ 1.60
Quantity:
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s24935
Wood Beads - 16 x 8 mm Rondelles - Tiger Ebony (1)
Lightweight tropical wood. Made in Philippine. 16mm x 8mm By the each.
Price: $ 0.85
Quantity:
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s24932
Wood Beads - 12 mm Rounded Square - Stained Redwood (1)
Lightweight tropical wood. Made in Philippine. 12mm By the each.
Price: $ 0.60
Quantity:
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s24934
Wood Beads - 25 mm Rounded Square - Tiger Ebony (1)
Lightweight tropical wood. Made in Philippine. 25mm By the each.
Price: $ 2.85
Quantity:
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s23507
Wood Beads - 13 mm Square - Warm Brown (1)
Silky smooth wood squares. Lightweight. 13mm x 13mm x 5mm By the each.
Price: $ 0.35
Quantity:
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s23509
Wood Beads - 13 mm Square - Jet Black (1)
Silky smooth wood squares. Lightweight. Stained coal black. 13mm x 13mm x 5mm By the each.
Price: $ 0.35
Quantity:
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s24931
Wood Beads - 17 mm Square - Stained Bayong Wood (1)
Lightweight tropical wood. Similar colour to all that Scandanavian furniture from the 70's - but much lighter in weight. Made in Philippine. 17mm By the each.
Price: $ 1.50
Quantity:

|| African Handmade Ceramic Beads || Artist-made Boro Lampwork Beads || Buttons || Cinnabar || Cloisonne - Enamelled Beads || Commercial Handmade Production Lampwork || Furnace Glass and Drawn Cane Beads || Gift Certificates || Glass Tiles for Collage, etc. || Lucite Flowers and Leaves || Natural Touch Resin Beads || Watchfaces and Bookmarks and Snowflake Forms || Close Out! Discounted, Discontinued, End of Line, etc. Page 1 || Close Outs - A Complete List (includes all close-out and discontinued items.) ||

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