A moral dilemma - foreign lampwork beads......

[Kaz]

OK it's like this.
Before I started making beads, I used to make lots of jewellery to sell. I started off by buying everything and anything I liked the look of. Naturally (and those of you who know my OCD about things like this will understand), I probably bought half of China and Singapore's annual production of shoddy lampwork and to me, at that time, they looked beautiful. Then I discovered real artisan lampwork beads, my bank balance has never been the same again and the rest is history!
So, the dilemma is this...I have drawers and drawers full of these damn beads - many of them quite pretty.....but I can't bring myself to use them in jewellery now. So, I think to myself I will just sell them, but when I think about doing that I can't bring myself to do it as I don't really want to be associated with them or to jeopardise my SRA.
I suppose I could set up yet another ebay account and offload them - but that doesn't seem ethical either.
I suppose I could anneal them - but who knows what glass they use?
I guess they will just end up staying in my drawer and some future great niece will inherit them and then sell them as vintage noughties beads on whatever ebay has mutated into by then.
Any other suggestions?
Kaz

[Vicki]

childrens jewellery making parties?  thats what i used mine for

[mizgeorge]

I had lots of these at one point too, and I RAK'd them away to various new jewellery makers and to a lady who does beading classes for hospital groups. Some of them really are quite pretty, but once you discover the real thing, there really is no looking back is there!

[lorrainelee]

Christmas tree decorations??
Lorraine

[sublimekate]

How about making some christmas decorations with them, long strings to go round the tree, or around the bottom of candles, or could they possibly be slumped into something (random idea there), or stuck on to a photo frame or mirror frame kind of like a mosaic. Or if you've literally got hundreds (and I'm guessing you do  ) have you seen those tables with a glass top and loads of little compartments, they might look pretty in something like that.....mmmmmm got me thinking about my fuglies now  

As for selling them Kaz (and this may go down like a lead balloon on here) I can't see anything wrong with you selling them on ebay as long as you're up front about what they are. I can understand your dilema, I wouldn't want my website or anywhere I sell my beads to be directly associated with them either, but you've got them and they can't just sit there forever gathering dust.

I'm not sure about giving them to kids, not young ones anyway, I mean they're suseptability to cracking could pose a bit of a danger there  

[Diane]

As for selling them Kaz (and this may go down like a lead balloon on here) I can't see anything wrong with you selling them on ebay as long as you're up front about what they are. I can understand your dilema, I wouldn't want my website or anywhere I sell my beads to be directly associated with them either, but you've got them and they can't just sit there forever gathering dust.

I'm not sure about giving them to kids, not young ones anyway, I mean they're suseptability to cracking could pose a bit of a danger there 

Am in total agreement with Kate here.

Diane x

[turnedlight]

If you really can't sell them, maybe give them to a charity shop? It might make something good out of bad..

[DragonflyLynne]

I can't add anything else. I do agree with Kate (and Diane), and as Emma says, a charity shop would be glad of them. Or offer them up to anyone doing charity work to make and sell some jewellery as George did?

And after seeing all your glass, I can believe that you bought half of China! 

[TiaraHelen]

As long as it's clear they're imports and not yours, why not sell them?  They are not illegal or awful (you bought them after all), they are just not up to your own fabulous standard any more!  It would be a shame to make them up into jewellery though when you could be creating quality stuff with that time instead.  Could you consider selling kits for kids/crafters?

Though I think I would clean them if they need it, it's not a nice thought to have someone's lung disease on your mind...

[Redhotsal]

I have no problem with selling them. Ebay is probably the place. You won't compromise your SRA status if you very clearly say what they are and why you are selling them. If you seriously do own half of China's GDP in glass then you may aswell recoup some of the dosh. Or run loads of children's jewellery parties.......

[Vicki]

when I first started I brought mixes of indian glass beads & at the time i thought they were fab...sell them Kaz, just keep your sra logo away from them...either that or make lots of long leather thong knotted type necklaces & flog 'em at christmas    the problem is with jewellery making parties is kids go to them

[Redhotsal]

the problem is with jewellery making parties is kids go to them

Yeah - you don't wanna be doing any of that! 

[Soozintheshed]

Sell them, I sell chinese and indian lampwork all the time, along with my own ones. Different people want different things.

I don't think it is unethical,, people in these countries make them, we all buy them, they get a wage, we get beads.

I can understand you not wanting to sell them side-by-side with your own, so open a new account, or sell them in a different way.

[Kaz]

the problem is with jewellery making parties is kids go to them

Yeah - you don't wanna be doing any of that! 

Too right!

[Josephine]

I agree, sell them on ebay. Just don't put SRA in your title like you would when selling your own beads.