6mm Opaque Orange Picasso Teardrop Beads [50]

Style:  G1928
 
Beads per lot:  50

Cost per bead:  6 cents

Bead material:  Glass

Country of origin:  Czech Republic

Size/shape:  4mm (wide) x 6mm (long) teardrops with the hole running sidways through the narrow end.

Colors/description:  Bright opaque orange beads (see comments) with a heavy, high-quality picasso coating that nearly covers each bead (so that only a little of the orange peaks through).  The coating is a grayish green (mossy green), although the overall effect is somewhat brown.
 
Hole size:  1mm (estimated).

Defects:  The beads appear to be in good shape, although an occasional bead may be malformed (a common defect of small beads).  I haven't noticed any malformed beads, but there are likely to be a few.

How photographed:  At the window in natural daylight.

Comments:  This color combination -- a picasso coating over an opaque yellow or orange bead -- is becoming a staple of some of the Czech manufacturers.  In this case, it is very well done.  I can barely see the color under the picasso coating, but it appears very rich.  The coating is clearly the highest-quality type of picasso coating, made from silver.  Apparently, they wash the beads with a silver solution which clings to the beads (as rust would -- I'm sure you've seen rust stains in glass or porcelain that won't come out).  The grays and greens in the coating are oxidized silver.  I adore this kind of picasso coating, and I think these beads are gorgeous.

Added later:  These are high-quality beads that were very expensive.  I was selling them in lots of 100 for $6.00, but I guess that was too much for my customers because they were selling slowly, so I lowered the lot size to 50.
 
Date first posted:  March 18, 2011
 
Supplier:  B
 
Caleb's notes: