- 1). Shop local hobby, craft or bead stores for mother of pearl beads. If the beads are divided into sections by composition, look first in the display of natural beads where you would find various stone and wooden beads.
- 2). Search the Internet for mother of pearl beads. They are offered by many jewelry and beading-supply vendors. Mother of pearl may be sold under a variety of names such as shell, paua, abalone, capiz, trochus, or black, brown or golden-lip mussel or oyster. Before purchasing a large quantity of beads, ask the vendor to sell you a sample so you can check their quality.
- 3). Examine the beads. Depending on the style, they may be irregular in shape and size. Because the material is formed naturally, the color, patterns and degree of iridescence will vary. For increased durability, beads are often made by laminating the thin inner iridescent layer of a shell onto a glass or resin base. To make a set of beads more uniform in color, shell beads are sometimes coated with translucent dyed resin. Treatments applied to the natural shell during manufacture do not necessarily detract from the beauty of the beads.
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