Well for the last several years it seems like something has always come crashing down on me right after the Gem Show. Home remodeling hell, family crisis, visiting relatives, etc. Thus I never got to photographing and posting pictures of purchases.

First up I have a group of real cheapies. I have already strung some of them but each individual strand was $0.50, the green dogbones were $1.00 per strand at a different location. The dealer said they weren't glass although they feel like it. Perhaps acrylic? I did notice in one case that the mono-filament they were strung on was stained the color of the bead. I don't think I'll expose these to water. Some of the dogbones show signs of a seam. Molded?