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:
Silver-plated bead wonderfulness #1
- 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!
2nd: silver-plated bead supremacy
- They’re shiny. Of course! And with that real-silver gleam.
3rd silver-plated bead thing
- 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.
5th 'dash-3' fabness
- 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!
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Tags: Featured Bead, round beads, round silver-plated beads, silver-plated beads, silver-plated round beads
I love “plain” round beads in all the metals! They are absolutely the best for adding the shine without detracting from your design. I get really nervous when my supply gets low…
Good point, Cyndi, anyone who uses the round metal beads should be sure to keep a stock of ‘em on hand. They’re almost as basic as cording & clasps…
They can make nice accents in wirework, when you want something that’ll add interest to the shape (and/or texture) without taking focus from other beads or pendants as they “blend in”. Especially the tiny 2 mm, which are my favorites.
They’re also a nice “first aid remedy” to use on headpins if you have beads with holes that are a bit to large to stay on the pin: looks like a ball-end headpin, only with a larger ball. And they work just as well on a ball-end headpin (for a simple dangle you first add a 2 mm onto it, followed by a 3 and/or 4 mm plain round, then by a 5 and/or 6 mm).
Just stringing a (multi-strand) necklace with plain beads in various sizes can be pretty. Not least if you want to concentrate focus on an added pendant.