About Me

I strive to treat each customer with the utmost personal care and attention to detail. Every customer of mine is very important to me, and I want to make sure that you want to return many times. I try very hard to treat everyone like I would want to be treated. If you give me the chance, I will prove this to you.

As a result of my sometimes extreme desire to please my customers, I am not usually a very fast processor of my hand drilled and solid sterling silver core lined beads. I will, however, make every attempt to meet special requests for beads ordered for special occasions or gifts. I do have a "real" job that I work 40 hours plus each week, so please consider this when placing you order.

I would welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and deliver you the best handmade beads you have ever purchased.

The BeadBuddies Process

I purchase all kinds of beads, usually with small (1-2mm) holes in them. I then drill these beads with a diamond bit, in liquid, to ensure the beads remain stable, and do not heat up an extreme amount while drilling. This is important to ensure the stones do not develop structure cracks and eventually become weak and break. Sometimes I am able to get beads "pre-drilled", which offers me the opportunity to skip the drilling process, although many still must be drilled somewhat before coring to ensure the correct size "hole" is all the way through the bead. Most "pre-drilled" beads that I purchase are stones that I am not able to find due to size, color or quality, otherwise. "Pre-drilled" stones are in no way cheaper for me, and most times are drilled as well or better than I am able to drill, having no cracks or breaking out around the holes, which is always a possibility when I drill a stone. Take a look at the beads along the bottom of the page...can you tell which ones I drilled? Naaah...the sterling cores cover up the holes!

Once the holes are in the stones, I then measure the thickness of the stone and cut the core accordingly. I must then sand, heat, insert the core in the bead, flare the silver core and hammer the core to the bead. Then comes the polishing process which is THE most tedious and lengthy part. This involves several steps, using several different abrasives, cleaners and silver protectors.

Finally I stamp all my beads with "BB" to ensure they are never sold as any other brand of bead, unless the core is too thin to stamp, or it is a type of stone that tends to flake if the core is too tight. In this case I will leave the core plain.

All BeadBuddies beads have solid sterling silver cores that are approximately 3.8mm in diameter. BeadBuddies will fit on Trollbead bracelets and necklaces, or other similarly sized brands.

Location:

248 Bama Drive

Talladega, Alabama 35160

Telephone provided upon request