Cost Less Beads

Service was ok, the counter person answered my questions and didn’t bother me while I was browsing, which I appreciated. Dropped almost $ 200. Upon closer review, most stone bead strands are irregular, so it’s tough to find a matching pair for earrings, for example, so I use those mostly for necklaces or bracelets. Prices are comparable to other stores (even with this permanent 60−70% off, and permanent «going out of business» status), so it’s nothing special, really. But they do carry some nice stuff that other stores don’t — like already mentioned loose stones, and my personal favorite, gold-​plated jump rings and other cute findings. Will go again, but will be more careful inspecting the strands.

got some beads here a while ago, and was pleased with the 70% off discount although I am not sure how much beads usually cost because I don’t buy beads often. the beads I got were tourquise beads and they were about 7 bucks. to me, that’s not bad.
Came back today to get some more beads to add to my necklace.
It seems like the service here is hit or miss.

Last I checked everything was 70% off! hurry before they’re closed for good. Looks like they have all the stuff needed for an amateur jewelry maker and at these closeout prices, I’m sure they are affordable, though I’ll admit, I’ve never done the cost comparison.

They are going out of business! 60% off everything in the store.
I now have 10 new pairs of earrings…

Decent store. Doesn’t really abide by the name of the store but still, you can find some stuff that you can’t find at Baubles.
I bought my little baggie things here and love them. but he keeps changing the stock he has on hand. Strange.
I like getting loose beads from here sometimes.

Kind of an average place that seems to be more hippie than the other bead stores in Berkeley (if you can imagine that). A selection of Tibetan metal beads and a couple small walls of natural stone beads stand out. They owner must have been reading his Unilocal reviews, because he was actually ridiculously nice.

Whenever I’m in the Berkeley area, I’ll stop in here, Stone Crazy, and Baubles & Beads to take a look around.
They have a lot of loose beads & good focal points. Gems & natural stones — which are what I focus on — abound here. The prices are pretty good on most things, though some of the gems & natural stones are pretty pricey. OTOH, they actually *have* good quality tourmaline & charolite, which you don’t see in most places.

i agree with those who say the owners are doorknobs. where the hell did they learn to run a business? jerks.

1.5 actually — — — — — first time i went here i was almost tempted to put a mirror in front of the owner’s face to see if he was still breathing.…no lie.
second time i went there, when i said hello as least the owner grunted at me.…progress.
i noticed this guy taking a fair number of mail order calls so maybe thats where the majority of his business comes from. don’t need any type of interpersonal skills for that.. .
every once in awhile you can find some interesting pendants here carved from nephrite, carnelian, or other forms of agate.
no matter if i’ve spent $ 2 here or some major $$$ i think customers deserve at least a «hello»

My girlfriend is a beader and is a better judge of price/​selection than I am. She said the beads are pretty expensive.
I am a judge of good service and this place lacks service. The owner accused my girlfriend of putting a bead in the cheaper slot of the purchase tray. Like she was trying to gyp this guy out of a nickel and the price was marked lower than he thought.. On another occasion, I saw another employer spit shining dusty beads by spitting on a napkin and wiping away.
You would think that with all the bead stores in Berkeley, they would value customers. At least don’t accuse them of trying to screw you out of a nickel.

I went in here on the premise that the beads were going to be inexpensive.
WRONG!
They wanted $ 30 for a 3 mm string of garnet. The glass beads I wanted were $ 4.95, which is $ 2 more than what I was willing to pay for. The 3 mm bicone swarovski crystals were fifteen cents a piece! I can buy a strand of them online for $ 2.25 per 48. That means that I pay four cents per bead. Four cents!
*sigh*
The guy behind the counter didn’t acknowledge me until I wanted to purchase something. I would only go there if I really needed something. They did have some nice coloured wire if you ever were in the neighborhood…

This store is just okay. The owners are about as friendly as a doorknob. But I guess maybe a doorknob might even be more inviting. They never give me the time of day whenever I browse through their store. I don’t know, maybe I’ve used up my nine lives already, and I’m really dead and invisible and I don’t know it. Just call me Casper. Anyways, their bead selection isn’t horrible, but I’m still searching for my fave bead store in the Bay Area.