I wrote the title of this post to purposely make you ask “What?????” Got your attention! Now read on about one of the coolest beads I know, and why it’s so…
So what is a “dash 3″? Rings & Things geeks like me use that name for anything silver-plated. And I wanted to talk for a minute about the basic, but not plain, silver-plated round bead.
What are the great points of round silver-plated beads? Off the top of my head, here are 5:
- These have big holes. For example the 5mm bead above has a 1 to 1.5mm hole. That’s a lot of space for stringing onto a range of wire, cable or cord! How versatile!
- They’re shiny. Of course! And with that real-silver gleam.
- They’re affordable. Up next to a solid sterling bead, the “dash 3″ plated version is an incredible bargain.

4th silver-plated bead feature
- What a blank slate to work with! Silver goes with so many colors and textures. Along with basic black (and lava stone
), this is one of the easiest ‘colors’ to work into all of your designs.
- They’re from Rings & Things…so you actually know they’re silver-plated. We don’t try to tell you they’re sterling or anything else. Just the facts, ma’am!
Dash-3′s have lots more going for them. Do you have a testimonial for silver-plated beads? Write it in a comment below!










