Rings & Things is a jewellery supply store and I've been using them for ages as a primary informational resource because they've taught me to do that. Rings & Things is known for its humourously clever and educational advertising, found in many bead and craft magazines. It's hard not to enjoy them or learn something from them.Remember when the 'fruit quartzes' came out? Cherry, Pineapple, Raspberry, Blueberry Quartz and more. These were being touted as fabulous new stones and sold as such. They were expensive. Opalite, sometimes referred to as Moonstone, was also being sold as a stone. I was stopped dead by a gorgeous opalite necklace at the Farmer's Market. "What is this", I asked the jewellery artist who had made it. "It's moonstone", she replied and offered it to me to touch. It was weighty because of the size of the stones but not as heavy as you would expect stones to be. It kind of looked like moonstone. But it was warm. That was the tip off! Stones are cold in your hand in a way that you won't forget. Sure, they warm up when you hold them or lay them in the Sun. But they are always colder than glass. The jewellery artist was not trying to rip me off. As she explained, she only knew what her supplier told her. She was a victim of misinformation, just as much as I was.
Those 'stones' haunted me. They were glowing and really neat! So, I researched them and only Rings & Things was willing to explain that these 'stones' were actually Chinese glass. Beautiful, yes, but man made.
I still love these beads and buy them in every shape and size. I don't mind at all that they are glass. And I don't mind at all knowing that I can trust R&T to always tell me the truth. Even if it hurts!
