A lifetime of passion for design, color & creativity evolved into Sunstar Beads & More, Jewelry By Design, featuring fresh water pearls, semi-precious gems, sterling silver, Swarovski Crystals, vintage glass beads and more. Ask how you can have a piece created especially for you!

Jewelry Design Vocabulary
                       

AB Finish – A coating that allows the light to play on the beads.

Bali Silver – Imported handcrafted sterling silver from Bail Indonesia. Bali Silver consists of a 92.5 percent silver and 7.25 percent copper ratio, is most commonly referred to as 925 sterling silver.

Bali .925 Silver beads - are available in an oxidized finish with black accents with a bright finish.

Bali Gold Vermeil Beads – These beads are created with 24k gold electroplating over Bali .925 silver beads.

Bicone – Two faceted cones connected at the base. Swarovski crystals come in this shape in a variety of sizes ranging from 3mm to 12mm.

Czech Glass Beads – Machine cut beads made in the Czech Republic in vintage style.

Freshwater Pearls – Pearls made from freshwater sources, often from manmade sources. These pearls are from organic sources and vary in size, shape and color. Akoya pearls come from the Japanese word meaning ‘salt water.’

Gold-filled beads – 14k gold plated on top of some kind of base metal, which could be iron, copper, or some other inexpensive metal.

Iridescent Finish – Also known as Aurora Borealis or AB finish – a coating that gives a sparkly, brilliant “rainbow” appearance.

Japanese Seed Beads – Precision cut glass. They are usually uniform in size, shape and color. The come in brilliant colors.

Lampwork Glass Beads – Handcrafted glass beads made one at a time with a seven step process, which increases the cost compared to normal pressed glass beads, slender rods are manipulated to a particular shape using a torch then placed in a kiln.

Pearls – Grade A – These pearls are completely smooth with less than 10% of the their surface with imperfections with an extremely beautiful luster.

Pearls, Grade B – These pearls have less than 30% of their surface with imperfections and still have a wonderful luster.

Pearls, Grade C – These pearls have some ripples over less than 70% of their surface and have an average luster.

Pearls, Grade D – These pearls have more than 70% of their surface with imperfections. This is the lowest grade for a pearl.

Satin Finish – A coating that creates a silky satin like appearance.

Silver-plated Beads – Beads machine made with a silver-plating on top of a base metal.

Sterling Silver Beads – Sterling silver containing a minimum of 92.5% pure sterling silver alloy. The other 7% is made of other metals. Silver is best stored in an air tight container to keep it from tarnishing.

Swarovski Austrian Crystals – Created by Daniel Swarovski from Austria. This company has been the leading crystal manufacturer since 1892. Their crystals contain 30-32% lead, which creates a highly refractive quality. Swarovski crystals quality is unmatched by any other manufacturers.

Swarovski Pearls – Created by the same company that produces the Swarovski Austrian crystals - these beautiful crystal-based pearls are scratch resistant and have a satin like luster coming in a variety of colors and having a uniform shape.

Venetian Glass Beads – Imported handcrafted glass beads made in Venice, Italy. Venetian glass beads date back to 1291. These beads are created with high quality glass and have 24k gold, white gold and/or .925 sterling silver foil melted into the glass to create these unique patterns.