And also get to know another forumite a little better!

with a thirst to share the intoxicating thrills of each discovery
with other people who really enjoy them and understand their significance, and get a feel of what other collector friends particularly enjoy.

here showing random things from my collection: antique natural mediterranean coral necklace carved into 2-holed "dagger" shapes (the piece intended to decorate the clasp is missing)
and a necklace created with just a few of the small Roman-period eye beads..

Every now and then one of those comes up on eBay and I just sort of sit there and salivate!

the instigator, so to speak,
it just is pure fun to draw names for a bunch of diverse friends with this common love, pure fun to hear whatever thoughts are shared with me, like, oh no, I got $%^&, what on earth am I going to give HIM?! :) It's something that makes the holidays a little more interesting for all of us, something purely about sharing beads and related things. For most of us, any "bead comrade" is probably miles away on most days...the holiday swap does what BCN does - it brings us together, all over the world!