Frequently asked questions

Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Do you have a shop?	A. You're in it! This is my shop. I am also a member of the Dutch Alley Artist's Co-op, located at 912 N. Peters Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70116, in the heart of the French Quarter.
Q. Can you send me a catalog?	A. The entire inventory is on the website. When you buy a piece, it is taken off the menu. Items made with antique beads are one of a kind, so a paper catalog would quickly be out of date.
Q. Is it safe to use my credit card on the internet?	A. Completely safe. In fact, safer than giving your credit card to a stranger at a store counter! Whenever you enter in your credit card information, that data is encrypted and transmitted directly to A.R.T. Precious & Collectible Jewelry. It's very rare for someone's credit card info to be stolen via the Web and misused. And in the highly unlikely event that it is, the Fair Credit Billing Act protects e-shoppers against unauthorized use of credit information, limiting liability to only $50. Order with confidence from A.R.T. Precious & Collectible Jewelry. We value your privacy. We do not sell, give away, or otherwise distribute your personal information in any way. If you use a credit card to pay for your order, it is on a secure server which is linked to our merchant account. The receipt that is sent to you does not contain your credit card number. Your address will only be used to send your jewelry. Your email address will only be used to correspond with you about your order. Our site protects your transactions with the highest levels of security. Our servers use industry-standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), an advanced encryption technology that works with Netscape Navigator and Communicator (version 2.0 and above), Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 3.0 and above), and AOL (version 3.0 and above) browsers. SSL encrypts all of your personal information, including your credit card number, name, and address, so that it cannot be intercepted as the information travels over the Internet between your browser and our site. All data is encrypted for security, and will never be given or sold to anyone else for any reason without your permission. See About SSL
Q. Do you wholesale jewelry, beads, gems, findings, etc.?	A. Wholesale orders are for finished jewelry only. I am not a supplier of beads, findings or supplies. Please send copy of your tax I.D. Include Purchase Order Number on company letterhead. Minimum wholesale order 12 items. I will verify your order by telephone. The jewelry at A.R.T. Precious & Collectible Jewelry is already priced far below comparable pieces in jewelry stores; wholesale discount is 30%.
Q. Do you make custom designs?	A. Yes, with limitations. I have a huge supply of beads, but maybe not the exact ones that your Aunt Tilly used to have. I work with quality glass beads, gem beads, pearls, gold and silver. No plastic, wood, fimo, etc. Email inquiries to anne@beadbear.com .
Q. Where do you get your beads?	A. I have collected antique glass beads and unusual beads of all kinds from around the world for over thirty years. I get many of my antique African trade beads directly from traders in Africa. A search on any of the major search engines will turn up lots of sites selling strands of beads. Prices vary widely, so educate yourself about the beads you are seeking before spending too much.
Q. Do you sell loose beads?	A. Sorry, no.
Q. I have some beads. What are they and what are they worth?	A. That can be a very tough question to answer without actually examining them. However, if you can email a good color picture (a flatbed scanner takes good pictures of beads; it's what I use) to questions@beadbear.com then I will help if I can.
Q. Can you repair broken necklaces?	A. Of course. See Returns & Repairs
Q. Can you string some beads/pearls that I have?	A. Yes, I can. See Returns & Repairs
Q. Do you ship outside the USA?	A. Yes, I can. However, overseas shipping costs and export/import duties can make it very expensive. In many cases, these fees can be more than the cost of the jewelry.