Review: Maruti Beads Straight from India, Gorgeous, Handmade Beads for the Jewelry-Lover in Your Life
First of all: What are Maruti Beads? you may ask.
Answer: They are amazingly-detailed, handmade beads in the rich tradition of Indian beadmaking. The clay beads are often adorned with metallic paillettes, braided wire, and tiny rings to bring a textured, glamorous finish to each bead. And each is made by hand!
A little more info about these three types of beads, straight from the MarutiBeads.com website:
Kashmiri beads are made from a mix of marble powder and manufactured resin (polymer clay) while the resin used in Lac beads is from a natural source.Also known as “Bollywood” beads, Kashmiri beads are hand decorated and use a variety of materials for embellishment such as mirror chips, seed beads, silver plating and rhinestones.
Maruti Beads artistically blends the beauty of Kashmiri beads with silver plated side caps to culminate in a one of a kind creation exclusive to Maruti International.
Lac beads are made from a mixture of Lac and marble powder, ornamented with silver plating, seed beads and rhinestones: detailed with metal elements, mirror chips and various embellishments…In short, Lac beads are highly valued individual works of art…Lac is a substance secreted by a tiny insect called Kerria lacca. The Lac insect is so small that a magnifying glass is needed to see it. This little bug dwells in the twigs of host trees and lives off the sap from which they secrete the hard Lac resin. When first harvested Lac resin is brittle and tough however, through a process of slow heating the resin softens into a workable material.
Lac beads to the back, Kashmiri beads to the right, and Maruti beads to the left.
To be honest, I had never heard of Maruti beads before (nor Kashmiri, nor Lac beads), not until a rep from Maruti Beads International contacted me to see if I wanted to review their beads.
They sent me a multi-pack that included Maruti, Lac, and Kashmiri beads to review.
I made this pretty beaded bracelet in a flash, using imitation leather cording and a fish-hook closure. The beads would also be perfect as a single focal of a bracelet in an arm party stack (or many bracelets!!), or linked up together Shamballah-style. (You can also see Shamballah bracelets designed with Maruti beads here, and regular bracelets using Maruti beads here.) They can also be linked together into necklaces, or used in drop-style earrings. I love how each tiny bead tells a little story – and in some (not all) the hole is large enough to accommodate Pandora or Dione bead systems.
For any bead-lover or jewelry enthusiast I’d definitely recommend trying out these beads in your designs – and with the holiday season coming up they may make a wonderful present for the proverbial woman who has everything.
Wholesale Beads at MarutiBeads.com
Which is your favorite style of bead? (I just love that big black barrel one in the center of my bracelet!!) Or what would you make with these? Let me know in the comments section!
xo
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I was sent a Bead Mix Pack from Maruti Beads containing Lac, Kashmiri, and Maruti Beads for review purposes (ARV=$60). I have not been compensated for this post. The opinions above are my own. My full Disclosure Policy is here.
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