Thank you KATHY! Part of Bead Notes now. Will be updated very soon....it's in
my file, but will go to beadershaven, beadersheaven, and Kandice's website
asap.

First choice: Solid Gold. Very pricey, but lovely. Comes in a
lousy variety of styles.

Second: Gold Filled. It's gold mechanically bonded to a base metal
and is hundreds or thousands of times thicker than the gold in "gold
plated" stuff. The gold will not wear off in the normal course of
things, and should last a lifetime. Because the gold is mechanically
layered onto the base metal, it cannot be cast, so it comes in a
lousy variety as well.

Third: Vermeil. It's the same as gold plated stuff, but it's silver
instead of base metal underneath. The gold will wear off, and
relatively quickly. Comes in a wide variety of styles, though, and
if it's used in a place where it isn't rubbed, like spacers between
larger beads, it'll be all right.

Fourth: Gold Plated. Extremely thin layer of gold over base metal
findings. The gold will wear off, and the base metal will be smelly
or turn your skin green or both. Comes in a lot of styles, but wears
so quickly that it's not worth your time.

Last: Gold plated plastic. Doesn't wear quickly, considering.
Doesn't come in findings, only beads. Beads are often rather
detailed and come in ethnic or children's styles. Beads are very
lightweight for their size, and are usually pretty darned cheap. Okay
for kids crafts or when weight is a crucial issue.

Kathy N-V


~~
Sooz
To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. ~~Joseph Chilton
Pearce