Quality Beads, Great Selection and Super Service
GenerationGems.com
I have not been this excited about a beading product since, well, I don't know when! I found Generation Gems through a friend who recommended their engraved hematite beads, and when she brought me their catalogue, I went straight to their online store and ordered two beads for myself!
For beaders, Generation Gems offers a totally unique and patented product - hematite (magnetized* or non-magnetized) and cat's eye beads and charms that are engraved with names or words and dates. The possibilities are endless - Mother's jewelry (children's names and birthdays), anniversary jewelry (couple's names and wedding date), survivor or awareness jewelry, inspirational jewelry - let your imagination go wild!
Prices of individual beads and charms seem high (starting at $12/bead or charm) until you consider the price of individual letter cubes in sterling to make a name bracelet. Plus, in my humble opinion, the fact that these beads are SO unique and make fantastic, sleek, and elegant jewelry is worth a little extra!
Engraved hematite beads come in two shapes (twisted ovals or rectangles) and two different sizes of the twisted ovals. Cat's eye beads are available presently in white only, and only the oval shape. Engraved charms are available in heart, oval, cross or rectangle shapes.
I placed my order on a Wednesday morning, and a customer service representative called me later that afternoon to confirm my credit card CVV number, let me know they'd received my order, and that I would have it in hand within 10 business days. Much to my surprise, the beads arrived just over a week later on Thursday, and they were beautiful!! They were carefully packed in an individual bag, which was then placed in a nice square gift box (great if you are then making a bracelet for someone else and don't want to hunt for a box!). The beads were perfectly engraved with my children's names and birth dates in a readable (when I put on my bifocals!) script font and had a nice weighty feel to them - no cheap stuff here!
The web site is easy enough to maneuver, if you are ordering multiple beads of the same style you can indicate the names/words and dates of up to ten beads on the same page. This saves me time, which I appreciate! Payment options are by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover) and shipping options are UPS or USPS. Generation Gems is located in Fenton, Missouri; if you are in the area, they offer the option to pick up your beads and save on shipping.
Beads by the strand that match the engraved hematite and cat's eye beads are available at a good price.
For those who are looking for a finished product, Generation Gems also offers several designs via their online catalog. To add a personalized bead to bracelets, tack on $12/bead to the bracelet cost.
Bottom line, high quality, outstanding customer service, and a unique product that is received in a quick manner make Generation Gems a winner!
*magentized jewelry should NOT be worn by pregnant women or persons with pacemakers
