In Search of the Elusive Red Beads

I love a pop of red with a black or grey outfit.  I used to accomplish this with a long strand of red plastic beads.  Then the strand broke and could not be repaired.  What to do?  Buy a new strand of beads - right?  Easier than it sounds, I have shopped local department stores, discount stores, boutiques, and even Charming Charlie.  Only a few carried true bead necklaces and none had the true lipstick red I was looking for.



Red plastic roundels & small round coral

Yes, you can find wine colored beads, muted red, or red scattered amongst other color beads.  However, no bright red beads only in short or long strands, with or without clasps. A limited mix of metals and plastic or glass as nuggets or briolettes were offered for sale, which that does not fit my desire. So what to do next?  Search the internet?  Again, few results other than loose beads in natural stone or glass, which would mean me making my own necklace or cheap looking Mardi Gras beads. At least now I have some idea of what I might look for on jewelry sites.

Did I find the perfect necklace in carnelian, red agate, sardonyx, red jade, or coral?  Nope!  Some of these stones have striations of other colors and only the dyed stuff will be consistent in color.  So, next do I try seller sites like ebay or craigslist?  I’d rather not try to drill through all that might be there.  Instead, I’ll ask you – my readers, any suggestions?