{"id":228,"date":"2009-07-04T22:31:46","date_gmt":"2009-07-05T02:31:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/diannekargbaron.userblogs.ganoksin.coms\/2009\/07\/26\/yoj09-25-netted-pendant\/"},"modified":"2009-07-04T22:31:46","modified_gmt":"2009-07-05T02:31:46","slug":"yoj09-25-netted-pendant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/userblogs.ganoksin.com\/diannekargbaron\/2009\/07\/04\/yoj09-25-netted-pendant\/","title":{"rendered":"YOJ09-25 Netted Pendant"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n $\"YOJ09-25$
\n<\/a>
\nNetted Pendant (2009)
\nFine silver, sterling silver
\nL 6.0 cm x W 2.5 cm<\/p>\n

I\u2019m running a bit behind with my YOJ postings, but I have been keeping up with doing the pieces.\u00a0 My focus has been on preparing for my class, which starts 9 days from today!\u00a0 This netted pendant is one of the projects for the class.<\/p>\n

The good news is that I will get all of the tutorials done.\u00a0 The bad news is that I have no idea if my wire is going to arrive in time!<\/p>\n

Getting the supplies for these classes has really tested my patience. Back when I worked in the mining industry, the gentleman I worked for always reminded me to prepare for Murphy\u2019s Law.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been reminded of that over and over in the last few weeks\u2026<\/p>\n

I do my best to support Canadian companies, partly because I believe in buying locally, but also because that way I don\u2019t have to deal with the extra hassle of shipping, customs, duties and fluctuating exchange rates.<\/p>\n

But some suppliers really make it a pain in the ass to deal with them.<\/p>\n

Case in point:\u00a0 John Bead, a trade-only wholesaler and beader\u2019s heaven.\u00a0 They would be an ideal Canadian supplier if they actually had the things I needed IN STOCK!!!\u00a0 Three weeks ago I went to JB \u2013 my first visit in years \u2013 and I was reminded why I don\u2019t bother to shop there unless I absolutely have to.\u00a0 The warehouse is a frustrating jumble of aisles and bins.\u00a0 Just finding things is the first challenge.\u00a0 Then the flat nose pliers I wanted were out of stock.\u00a0 I had to settle for a cheaper, lighter weight version.\u00a0 The round nose pliers \u2013 every style \u2013 were out of stock.\u00a0 The only pliers they did have in stock were their own house brand \u2013 at $20 a pop.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t have enough spools of 26 gauge copper wire, so I had to buy half of them in brass.\u00a0 No 1.5 mm antique copper chain in stock.\u00a0 Barely any 2 mm copper beads in stock.\u00a0 This is a wholesaler, remember, with several thousand sq. feet of showroom space\u2026<\/p>\n

*If* they had had the pliers, I would have been well over their minimum purchase requirement.\u00a0 As it was, I ended up having to visit their Swarovski room and buy a bunch of Swarovski crystals I didn\u2019t really want or need to make up the difference.\u00a0 And even there, the stock on some of the common colours was patheticly low!<\/p>\n

So, if you\u2019re in Canada, looking for wholesale Miyuki, Swarovski or Preciosa, John Bead is a go-to supplier if you can meet their minimum.\u00a0 As for me, I think next year I\u2019ll deal with the shipping costs, and customs charges, and just order from Rio Grande\u2026<\/p>\n

And increase the cost of the kit\u2026I\u2019m dealing with a very tight budget here, so that makes sourcing reasonably priced supplies problematic.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, I found another supplier for the round nose pliers \u2013 Habsons Jeweller Supplies<\/a> in Vancouver.\u00a0 They had the quantity I needed in stock, and they had them packed and shipped the day after I ordered them.\u00a0 This is the second time they\u2019ve come through for me on a hard-to-find item.\u00a0 Last year I bought a half dozen wooden ring mandrels from them \u2013 impossible to find elsewhere in Canada, but they had them.\u00a0 I love these guys.\u00a0 Great customer service.\u00a0 Actually, maybe I\u2019ll order from them first next year\u2026<\/p>\n

Next was the still-ongoing misadventure with the copper wire.<\/p>\n

There are NO suppliers of shaped copper wire in Canada.\u00a0 So, ordering from the US is required.<\/p>\n

I placed my order in mid-June, with expected delivery in 10 business days.\u00a0 The time came and went, and when I followed up this last week, I found out the supplier missed something on the paperwork.\u00a0 The package had been returned and had sat in their warehouse for a week before being sent out again.\u00a0 So now I\u2019m sitting here hoping the package will arrive in the next few days.\u00a0 If it\u2019s not here by Tuesday, I have to re-order the whole lot (US$900+), and have it sent up here by express overnight courier.\u00a0 Cost of the courier:\u00a0 US$102.\u00a0 *gloom*\u00a0 And I have to re-source the cabochons because I cleaned them out of their 22\u00d730 mm with my last order.\u00a0\u00a0 And then I\u2019ll have two complete sets of the wire I need for the classes once the other order finally does arrive.\u00a0 The owner is doing her best to be helpful, even taking time out of her vacation to deal with this for me.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, I\u2019m beavering away, working on tutorials, putting together what I can of the kits, and trying not to stress out\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"