CAUTION - EXTREME GEMS

I've been drooling over so many gems lately.  I think it's my new porn.  hehe  Don't get me wrong, my favorites are stones with lots of earthy, rustic character.  But every girl loves sparkly topaz and sapphires, right?  So, I was faced with a dilemma.  There are so many businesses to buy from and who is going to give me the "best bang for the buck"?  I've been stalking this company from India for a few months carefully watching their feedback and marveling over each and every gem they have to offer.  My problem was that I'd never ordered anything from India and I, as most of you might be, was wondering if it would end up as a good move or just a horrible mess.

Here's the thing, a good portion of the gems that you see started up in Jaipur, India.  This is known as the "Pink City" and they export gems to countries all over the world.  Google Jaipur and you'll see what I mean.  Sounds like a good enough reason to check it out.  But, wouldn't I have to wait a decade or two to actually get my gems?  I mean, India is so far away.

Well, you never know until you try, right?  So I took the plunge and did it.  And after less than a week I got my purchase!!!

*Warning - If you are on a bead/gem diet please look away!*

Crystal quartz stars, pink amethyst, and rose quartz

Rainbow moonstones and blue mystic quartz

Hessonite garnet and smokey quartz drops

Beer quartz and black rutilated quartz

Mystic pearl quartz, rose quartz, black spinel, rhodolite garnet, green amethyst, blue topaz, and hessonite garnet

Now even though I had them in less than a week and all of my order seemed to have shipped perfectly, I was still on guard.  I checked each gem extremely close to find any imperfections.  The only problem I found was that one of the crystal quartz was faceted more than the other and since I am using these on two separate projects it really didn't matter to me anyway.

In fact, this order was better than I had hoped for.  It's hard to portray the real sparkle and flair for a stone through the lens of a camera unless you are a professional.  Each and every one of them is just stunning in the sunlight.

And now I have to do these beauties justice with some stellar creations although I kinda want to hoard them.  I just keep gazing at them like new found love.  I'm sure my hubby is laughing at me when I'm not looking. 

So, if you are facing the dilemma of ordering from out of the USA please give it a try.  If you are worried just try placing a smaller order at first.  Although, the way to really save money is on bulk since the shipping fees can be pretty expensive.

Well, that's it for me this week.  I'm off to BeadFest Wire tomorrow to meet with some blogging buddies and have fun!  Don't forget there are two giveaways for Bei Mondi pieces that are ending on April 12th.  Here is the one on the Bei Mondi blog and here's the one on Indie Pretty's blog.  Have a great weekend!!!