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Here is a list of some suppliers who sell materials for jewelry making. Although commercial items such as the rose-montees can be safely bought on price alone, the best option for buying stones and hand made elements
is still to go to bead shows and get to know the vendor directly. I have not used all of these suppliers: this list is for your convenience only!
 
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Rose Montees
(rhinestones set in prongs)
Rose Monteés are rhinestones set into prongs, which allow you to sew or thread them into clothing or jewelry. They are excellent to use with wire jewelry, since they can be easily
threaded like beads.
A few years ago they were hard to find, only vintage ones could be detected once in a while. Recently, there are more places selling them, including new ones.
Included in this
list are rhinestones called "sew-ons", which have essentially the same principle: they are set on tracks which can be threaded easily.
Tips on buying:
1)
Check shape of the back of the stones carefully: some crystals are pointed-back and set on thicker tracks (occasionally referred to as chaton montee or sew-on rhinestones); some stones are flat-backs (rose-montee). Usually, the pointed-back ones are harder to find, a little chunkier but also more beautiful than the flat-backs.
2) Remember, most rose-montees or sew-on rhinestones come set in base metal tracks, no sterling silver. If you want use sterling silver tracks, then get some snap-tites and loose rhinestones.
Rose-montee and Sew-on Rhinestones suppliers:
Rings and Things
https://www.rings-things.com/cgi-bin/hazel/hazel.cgi?action=search&SEARCH_KEY_TERMS=%2BSwarovski+%2Bmounted+%2Brhinestone
Offer mounted rhinestones, from small to medium (4mm to 6mm). If the link above expires, look inside of Crystals/Swarovski® Rhinestone Beads/Mounted Rhinestones.
B'SueBoutique
http://www.bsueboutiques.com/rhinefind.shtml : Interesting mix, different tracks
Jool Supplies.com
http://www.joolsupplies.com/glass/insettings.html : Another place with interesting shapes and tracks, including some rectangular ones.
Costume Jewelry Supplies Rose Montees page
http://www.costumejewelrysupplies.com/rhinestones.htm: a large selection of round rose montees in
various sizes and colors
Costume Jewelry Supplies Glitz and Glamour
http://www.costumejewelrysupplies.com/glitz_glamour.htm: strands of pronged rhinestones which can be
taken apart and used individually as rose montees.
Tutu.com Rhinestones
http://www.tutu.com/rhn_mont.html: has a good explanation of the differences between the two types of montees and different shapes available.
Gorgeous Navette & Marquise prong set Rhinestones
http://www.costumejewelrysupplies.com/rhinestones3_15x7.htm
Shipwreck Beads
http://shipwreck.com/catalog/Czech_Cut_Crystal/Sew-on_Rhinestones: 3.5mm to 5mm rose-montees.
Vintage Sew-on Rhinestones
http://maureengreeson.safeshopper.com/249/cat249.htm?309: Rose Montees
Empyrean Beads
http://www.empyreanbeads.com/: they carry vintage rose montees.
Rhinestone Guy.com
http://www.rhinestoneguy.com/sw_and_cz_jewels.htm: beautiful quality crystals, scroll to the very bottom of the page.
MJ Trimming
http://www.mjtrim.com/Catalog/family.aspx?family=06:15: various colors of rose-montees
Supplier in New Zealand
http://www.rhinestonz.co.nz/rosesmonte.htm
Maria George
http://www.mariageorge.com.au/pages/crystals/czech/rosemontee.htm: supplier in Australia
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Tiny Silver 2mm and 3mm seed beads
Where do you find teeny tiny 2mm and 3mm sterling silver beads?
I use sterling silver beads created by the Hilltribes in Thailand. These are handmade
beads and although they can be expensive, they really make a difference in the look of the final piece!
Hands of the Hills: Although most of the beads I purchased are from bead shows, you can find tiny hilltribes in their catalog: http://www.hohbead.com/ . Try looking at pages 12 and 13 of their catalog.
www.Shiana.com: They carry some decent quality Thai silver, including vermeil. Select Thai Sterling Silver Beads in the categories to find them.
www.Firemountaingems.com : Select Metal beads/Hill Tribes People Silver/ Mini Bead Strands to find them. Click here to go directly there.
www.Somerset-silver.com : check out pages 11 and 12 from their catalog.
www.fusionbeads.com: A little pricey, but a good variety of smaller beads. Locate Hilltribe Spacer beads by clicking here.
www.artbeads.com : Select Hill Tribe Silver Strands, click here.
Thailand E-mart: this link was sent to me by a friend, they seem to have great value.
ShianaLLC: not only tiny beads, but also hard to find rose-gold vermeil beads from Thailand.
My favorite ones are the 1mm 1.5mm, 2mm and 3mm stamped rondelles, cornerless cubes and diamond shaped.
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Silver Animal Charms
Where do you find such tiny sterling silver animal charms?
I use very tiny sterling silver charms, which I drill with the smallest of drill bits using a Dremel tool. Then I attach the animals to bangles and pendants using 28 or 26 ga wire. To
find these animal charms, go to:
Quality Sterling international: The cheapest prices of all, and also very efficient.
www.bluemud.com : Great source, with good prices - very organized and efficient. Buy in bulk to get better prices.
www.charmfactory.com : Also very good source, although prices are slightly higher than bluemud.
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Silver Wire
What kind of wire do you use to create your work?
I almost always use round sterling silver wire (not fine) to create my jewelry. I prefer to work with dead-soft (not half-hard) wire
, since the constant manipulation of the wire can make it very brittle.
If you are searching for 28 ga wire and want to practice first, then I suggest using craft wire, which can be found at craft shops, or here:
Artistic Wire. This colored wire comes in a variety of colors and gauges, including the hard to find 28 ga.
If you want to use silver, then you can easily find it at these locations:
CGM Findings:
www.CGMfindings.com: This is where I buy most of my wire. Go to the website and call their 800 number instead of placing an order via email, you will get faster service! The
do require a wholesale license and have a minimum purchase (US$100 I believe).
Silver Sky International:
12113 Sylvan Street
North Hollywood, CA 91606
Phone: (818) 980-6038
I have also bought from them several times. They don't have a website, but their service is fast and they don't require a minimum purchase to ship it out to you.
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Pink Shells
Where can I find the pink round shells you have used in so many of your pieces such as the beach bangle and the pink paella bangle?
The first batch of shells was bought at a show, and I had a hard time locating them again. However, a friend came to my rescue:
Sweet Creek Creations. http://www.sweetcreek.com/asshbe.html to go directly to the shells page!
I have ordered from them myself, and the shells are nice, the holes well drilled and the price... very inexpensive! They were also delivered quickly and well packaged. I recommend their service!
Here is another source, (I have not purchased from them yet):
Beads and pieces. http://www.beadsandpieces.com/cushbe.html : rare and unclassified shells, scroll down to find the pink shells.
One tiny bit of caution: the shells are a bit slippery. If you plan to incorporate them in a bangle with a coiled bezel, make sure you are very comfortable with the technique first -- try working with rounder stones
before tackling the shells!
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Silver Shapes and Frames
Where do you find the silver shapes and frames used to make the Mosaic Pendant?
If you don't feel like building your own frames out of wire, then get them at Sadco Inc: . Click here for the frames seen in the figure
Other hard to find items they carry in silver are:
square, oval, triangle and diamond jumprings in various sizes without the tiny loops
silver mini picture frame charms
filigree shapes in silver
silver charms
large link chains
Many of these items are NOT available in their online catalog, so call or email for a full printed catalog, which has much more than shown online.
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Memory Wire
I can't seem to find beads with large enough holes to make the coiled bangle. Can I use memory wire instead?
Yes you can and should -- although I used silver wire for the core of the coiled bangles for a long time, I am now recommending using 24gauge steel NECKLACE memory wire. The steel
wire is much sturdier than the soft silver and won't snap easily.
Firemountaingems.com: http://www.firemountaingems.com/details.asp?PN=H201901BS . Sells in packages with small or large quantities. Sells also in gold or silver tone color. They also have the memory wire shears (don't use your regular pliers!): http://www.firemountaingems.com/details.asp?PN=H202092TL
Riogrande.com: They have a large necklace memory wire, but it's a bit more expensive than Firemountaingems: https://www.riogrande.com/home/MemberArea/RichProductPage.aspx?assetName=681967 . The also have a fancy Swanstrom memory wire cutters: https://www.riogrande.com/home/MemberArea/RichProductPage.aspx?assetName=111156
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Gemstone and stone beads
Where do you buy your gemstone and stone beads?
Almost 90% of the time I buy stone beads at shows, because I can select the strands myself. I do have a couple of suppliers who I have come to trust over the years and find myself
doing repeated business with them:
BonitaCreations.com: the quality of their stones is outstanding, way beyond what you would normally find in other suppliers. They travel the world selecting the stones
themselves. Even when I purchased over the net with them, I was always VERY happy with the quality of their products.
Sunlightgems.com: I have not purchased online with them, I go directly to their store. They have a large selection of average stones and the owners are very nice.
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Silver Leaves
Where do I find the silver leaves you use to in your jewelry, specifically the chaos necklace?
Silver leaves can be found from two sources: thai silver suppliers and charm suppliers.
Hands of the Hills: good supplier of thai silver. This page takes you directly to the catalog page with leaves.
Somerset silver: good variety of leaves. Careful with the sizes. Check out page 2 as well.
Bluemud.com: these are the ones I personally use:
Oak Leaf Charm (small)
Aspen Leaf Charm (small)
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