I wrote the title of this post to purposely make you ask “What?????” Got your attention! Now read on about one of the coolest beads I know, and why it’s so…
So what is a “dash 3”? Rings & Things geeks like me use that name for anything silver-plated. And I wanted to talk for a minute about the basic, but not plain, silver-plated round bead.
What are the great points of round silver-plated beads? Off the top of my head, here are 5:
Silver-plated bead wonderfulness #1
- These have big holes. For example the 5mm bead above has a 1 to 1.5mm hole. That’s a lot of space for stringing onto a range of wire, cable or cord! How versatile!
2nd: silver-plated bead supremacy
- They’re shiny. Of course! And with that real-silver gleam.
3rd silver-plated bead thing
- They’re affordable. Up next to a solid sterling bead, the “dash 3” plated version is an incredible bargain.
4th silver-plated bead feature
- What a blank slate to work with! Silver goes with so many colors and textures. Along with basic black (and lava stone 🙂 ), this is one of the easiest ‘colors’ to work into all of your designs.
5th ‘dash-3’ fabness
- They’re from Rings & Things…so you actually know they’re silver-plated. We don’t try to tell you they’re sterling or anything else. Just the facts, ma’am!
Dash-3’s have lots more going for them. Do you have a testimonial for silver-plated beads? Write it in a comment below!
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3 Comments
I love “plain” round beads in all the metals! They are absolutely the best for adding the shine without detracting from your design. I get really nervous when my supply gets low… 🙂
Good point, Cyndi, anyone who uses the round metal beads should be sure to keep a stock of ’em on hand. They’re almost as basic as cording & clasps…
They can make nice accents in wirework, when you want something that’ll add interest to the shape (and/or texture) without taking focus from other beads or pendants as they “blend in”. Especially the tiny 2 mm, which are my favorites.
They’re also a nice “first aid remedy” to use on headpins if you have beads with holes that are a bit to large to stay on the pin: looks like a ball-end headpin, only with a larger ball. And they work just as well on a ball-end headpin (for a simple dangle you first add a 2 mm onto it, followed by a 3 and/or 4 mm plain round, then by a 5 and/or 6 mm).
Just stringing a (multi-strand) necklace with plain beads in various sizes can be pretty. Not least if you want to concentrate focus on an added pendant.