Buy In Bulk
As I mentioned before, where you can really save on jewelry supply prices is buying them in bulk. Although, many of the local shops also carry things in bulk I find that the selection generally isn’t as good as buying it online. One thing I know that I’ve mentioned before is that it can be advantageous to be able to physically hold the items and look at them with your own eyes. This is because that pictures on the web or a catalog can be misleading at times, either in color or in the actual quality (especialy for gemstones)!
For that reason, I tend to try to only buy in bulk those things that I need frequently (multiple use items) and that have well established colors and grades (Swarovski crystals or freshwater pearls for instance). For jewelry supplies like special stones and crystals, I’ll take the extra hit in price from a local shop or bead show just because I get to see first hand what it looks like instead of going from a picture.
Most larger online jewelry stores will have pricing tiers - the “per-price” of the items tend to get cheaper as you buy more. For instance, looking in the Fire Mountain catalog I see 6mm “Czech Crackle Beads” sold in strands, where 1-3 strands is $2.37 per strand, 4-9 strands is $1.71 per strand, and 10+ strands is $1.29 per strand. So jumping up to the highest tier can have significant savings. Just remember - don’t buy what you don’t need!
