7x10mm Pink Swirl Pillow Beads [50] (see Defects)
Style: G1868
Beads per lot: 50
Cost per bead: 5.6 cents
Bead material: Glass
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Size/shape: 7mm (thick) x 10mm (wide) pillow-shaped beads.
Colors/description: Opaque white and pink swirled together, with a matte finish.
Hole size: 1mm (estimated).
Defects: About 25% to 30% of these beads (my estimate) have small fissures in them, but the fissures are not always visible to the naked eye. Also, a small percentage have pits. I'm guessing that when the manufacturer saw that the beads had fissures, they put the beads through an acid wash to give them a matte finish. That succeeded in making the fissures less visible. Since many of the defective beads will be usable, I reduced the price by only 25%. Surprisingly, the original batch of these beads sold well, so I restocked them in December, 2013. At that time, I reduced the price further.
How photographed: At the window in natural daylight.
Comments: I don't usually restock defective beads, but these beads were popular. The fissures described above aren't very apparent, and overall they look very nice. My picture is fairly accurate, although it is an older picture and I didn't include any close-ups (as I do now when posting new beads).
Date first posted: January 1, 2011
Supplier: E
Caleb's notes: