Ruby Valentines Necklace

I am a big fan of easy. The jewelry that I wear most of the time is very simple in design. For this necklace, I simply strung a strand of Ruby beads with a plain toggle clasp. Before adding the clasp I slipped on the heart charm. My charm came with a closed jump ring, so it was important that I slide it on to the strand of beads prior to adding the second half of the clasp and finishing it off.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ruby beads are fairly expensive, so it is best to shop the sales when you can. I’ve had my eye on this particular strand for quite a while, but at $98 I was a bit hesitant to buy them. I finally snagged it  when my local bead shop was having a sale: buy 10 strands, get 10% off. Buy 20 strands, get 20% off and the pattern continued up to 50% off if you purchased 50 strands of beads.

Even at 50% off, 50 strands of beads adds up quickly.It is quite a bit of money to spend, even more so if you are eying the gemstone beads. The neat thing about the sale was that it applied to ALL bead strands. I took the opportunity to load up on some of the less expensive fire polish beads. I bought 49 strands of fire polish beads that averaged about $2 a strand. At 50% off, they cost me roughly $49. I then also got my strand of ruby beads for 50% off. It also cost me $49. So, for $98, I got the ruby beads, plus another 49 strand of beads. The way I look at it, I paid just over full price for the ruby beads, and then I got another 49 strands for free. I actually paid a little bit more than that, because some of my strands were a little over $2, but I still feel like I got a smoking deal. If I had been less picky about the beads that I wanted, I could have gotten a much better deal. There were quite a few beads for sale that were less than $2 a strand. Sales are a great way to beef up your bead stash!