Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do you sell to both retail and wholesale customers?
Yes we do. On our website, retail prices are set as the default price. To view wholesale prices please register with us as a member and follow up with us by email to let us know you are an operator of a company and would like to buy wholesale. We can then set you up in our system as a wholesale member. Next time you sign in you will be able to see the wholesale prices.
2. Can I view the wholesale prices before registering as a Wholesale member?
You can view the wholesale prices after registering with us as a wholesale member. Wholesale prices are only available to wholesale member.
3. What is the difference between Beading Hobbyists and Jewelry Designers?
There is indeed no difference in terms of quality of our products under the Beading Hobbyists or Jewelry Designers category. The only difference is beads are sold by the piece under the Beading Hobbyists category and beads are sold by the strand under the Jewelry Designers category. We appreciate the fact that crafters may not want to overstock on beads and we make it possible to buy by the piece in the Beading Hobbyists
category.
4. How many pieces do I get from one strand of stones or pearls?
Unless otherwise specified, our stones and pearls are sold in 16-inch or 40cm strands. Certain items will be sold in 8-inch strands and you can always find out about this in the item description. To get the number of stones in a strand, divide 400 by the height of the stone in mm. You may not get the exact number depending on the height of the stone, but you will get a very close approximation.
5. Why are some of your pearls a bit larger or smaller than the size in the description?
Pearls, being a natural product, come in a range of sizes. Therefore, when you purchase a strand of 5mm round pearls you might get pearls from 4.5mm to 5.5mm in diameter in the same strand.
6. Do you carry dyed color or synthetic stones?
Some stone colors are hard to find in the market but are desired by jewelry makers. Examples are bright red and bright yellow colors. As a result we do carry dyed color stones and we will always declare the treatment of the stone in the item description to the best of our knowledge. Likewise, synthetic stones will be disclosed in the item description.
7. What are the natural colors of fresh water pearls?
The colors of fresh water pearls come in the range of white, off white, cream, peach, gold, and lilac to mauve. However, in the market you will only see white, peach and a range of mauve colors. This is because the off-white and creamy color pearls are bleached to become white. The very best white color pearls are the original un-bleached white color. You can find limited quantities of original white pearls in our Collectors category when it is available.
8. Are most colored pearls dyed?
Yes, most colored pearls are dyed although most light mauve and peach colors are natural colors.
9. Why do you mark some of the stones as Indian cut?
Most stones are either cut in China or India these days. Indian cut stones are a little bit uneven in shape and size, and often the holes are smaller. While some people like the natural feel of Indian cut stones, other people prefer the uniformity of Chinese cut stones. We feel that the information about where the stones are cut will be useful to our customers. Recently some stones have been cut by machine in India and the result is
higher brilliancy in the stone. We will specify these stones as Indian Machine Cut. Unless otherwise specified, all the other stones are cut in China.
10. I see some abbreviations in your item description, can you tell me what they stand for?
Brio - Briolette
Fct - Faceted
Irr - Irregular
Mrqu - Marquise
Rct - Rectangle
Rndl - Rondelle
Rd - Round
Sq - Square
Trdp - Teardrop
11. What is the difference between Jadeite and Jade-Misnomer?
There are a lot of products in the market that are called Jade but in fact do not belong to the jade family from the gemological point of view. These products are called jade by mistake and they are the misnomers of jade. For the shopping convenience of our customers, we follow what is used in the market but differentiate between jadeite, which is real jade, from the misnomers. For future information in this area, please register
with us as a member and check out our newsletter.
12. Can I place a back order for items that are no longer on the site, and how long will it take for the back order to be filled?
Semi-precious stones, being natural stones, vary in color and brilliance from batch to batch. That is part and parcel of the gemstone business. We accept Special Orders and Very Special Orders from wholesale customers (see Wholesale page) but we do not keep back orders.
13. Can I write to you with further questions I might have on the stones you carry?
Please write to us if you have any questions regarding the gemstones we carry. We would love to hear from you and we will answer your questions to the best of our ability. Please forward your question to customerservice@designersfindings.ca.
14. I am an international customer, how do I know the prices in our home currency?
Our prices are in Canadian dollars. To convert the prices to the currency of your country please go to www.bankofcanada.ca/en/rates/converter.html. Please note there will be a difference between the exchange rate quoted by the bank and the exchange rate charged by the merchant bank.