mid-november-2020

State Of Beading, Men’s Jewellery & Labradorite 

8th November 2020

All bead fairs are off – with the UK second lockdown. Jewellery makers must go online, and look forward to Christmas!

Content:
The State Of Beading
Surge In Men’s Jewellery
Labradorite Beads Make Popular Jewellery
New MrBead Shop
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The State Of Beading

Bead Shows Finished This Year
That’s it – no more bead fairs for 2020. Yo Yo Johnson has seen to it, and I used to like him! There was a chance with Newton Abbott Gem n Bead Fair as figures there are half national average, but it’s now off.

We managed to attend 8 out of 32 shows booked, and all were quite good. However, we’ve wasted thousands marketing cancelled fairs and non-refundable payments. Its tough.

Second Lockdown
I know many are for this, and I respect their views. However, I think it will make matters worse by increasing debt and non-covid deaths – and covid figures will just revert back up again after the lockdown is lifted.

UK Government borrowings will now exceed over £500 billion this year, a staggering amount: £500,000,000,000! Just the track and trace system has cost over £12 billion – that’s about £176 for every man woman and child in the country.

How can it cost so much, it doesn’t even work? There’s something wrong here. People are making money out of covid. Like those who built the Nightingale Hospitals: so far each patient has cost the state £1m!

How Does All This Effect Beaders?
Take advantage of this free time to design and make jewellery.

Jewellery makers must go online – to buy beads and to to sell jewellery. There are many ways to sell jewellery online – it couldn’t be easier these days. More on this in future newsletters.

It doesn’t matter how old you are. My mother used to spend hours online before lockdown killed her, aged 88. Get help, lessons, buy a book.

However, if you really can’t order online, you can still buy beads from MrBead. Just phone the number on our website (front page bottom left) – it helps a lot if you quote our product code and size, otherwise we’re working blind. Borrow a smartphone or tablet and go to https://mrbeadshop.com.

Sometime next year bead and craft fairs will return. Make the most of it, as past pandemics lasted about two-years.

Surge In Men’s Jewellery

Lockdown has surprisingly brought men swarming to buy jewellery. Perhaps it’s because men can’t spend so much down the pub or on clothes – or maybe it’s the sense of permanence that chunky metal and precious stones bring in these uncertain times.

What Men Want
Men have become braver, taking more risks dressing. They need more than a pair of denims and a basic shirt. They like to decorate themselves with a chunky bracelet, chains, an earring, necklace and rings. And they’re investing in jewellery to wear for the long run.

Although lots of jewellery is gender-fluid, men are looking for powerful masculine designs. Big and heavy, sharp spike shapes, not subtle.

This type of jewellery uplifts men, making them stand out and express their individuality. Other men wear jewellery as a sign of wealth and stature.

Trend Leaders
Rockstars and actors can be seen with chains, earrings, bulky bracelets, or big rings.  Look at Price Harry these days, and Singer Harry Styles even hangs pearls around his neck. Famous people always lead the trends.

How Men Should Wear Jewellery
Keep it simple, and wear with confidence. Nothing too showy or inappropriate. It must balance: chains around the neck don’t go with a semi precious bracelet.

Making Jewellery For Men
Go chunky and bold. Semi precious beads, like agate are fine, as long as the beads are big. Weighty chain or thick hematite is perfect. Keep colours dark – the jewellery has to portray masculinity.

Click to see our Icicle Beads
Our Hematite Beads
Our  Agate Beads

Labradorite Beads Make Popular Jewellery

Labradorite is a very popular semi-precious stone. It’s a feldspar, an abundant crystallized rock that develops in metamorphic stone. The natural iridescence flashes a rainbow of colours producing very-attractive jewellery that craves attention.

Labradorite is a transformational stone that naturally heals and balances the aura. It shields the aura, protecting your consciousness and your body from foreign influences, especially during vulnerable growth phases and intense transitions. Labradorite resonates with spiritual mystery and is the companion stone of the modern mystic.

A cheaper bead to natural labradorite is Mystic Crystal: a manmade alternative with similar iridescence, producing a striking effect when lit.

Mystic crystal are crystal beads, with a thin metallic film infused within them creating a dramatic aurora borealis effect. When the beads are viewed from different angles, varying colours sparkle. Unfortunately this popular phenomenon can’t be shown fully by a photograph. Oplaite moonstone also looks very similar.

Click to see all our Labradorite Beads
Our Mystic Crystal Beads
Our Opalite Moonstone Beads