Those special beads that are dear to one's heart

A few years ago I purchased a huge lot of vintage Czech crystal as a closeout. At the time, I was quite worried about the purchase. In general, I like to diversify, and I like to buy little pinches of things first to see if they'll sell before I commit to buying it all. However, this was before I started that buying philosophy, so I bought it and then thought, "What have I done?"

I've been listing four lots of them each week on eBay for the past three years. I originally had five containers of them; four containers of beads on strands, and one container of loose beads.

Earlier this year I transferred the container of loose beads into a smaller box.

This week I sorted everything in the box and ended up emptying it. I've divided the last of it into lots for eBay, and bagged the rest for my dollar bags at shows.

It's kind of bittersweet, really. These beads are from a different time. They're vintage Czech, hand faceted, in opaque pastel colors, some with AB coatings. I only have two shapes, rounds and bicones.

Here's an example of the pretty robin's egg blue:



Another example

Yes, some of them are faceted a little wonky, and some of them are chipped or have bubbles or other imperfections. But I've really grown to love them over the years, and I was a little sad as I bagged up the last bag. They're very special beads and they've definitely resonated with a lot of my customers. I'll miss them very much when they're gone. That's the bittersweet nature of vintage beads--once they're gone, they're gone.