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A B O U T   U S

Wild Things Beads is an American importer of glass beads manufactured in the Czech Republic and Germany, supplying bead stores and the costume jewelry industry.

They have been in business since 1982, starting off in the arts and crafts industry, selling at flea markets, craft fairs, church fetes art shows, and Quartzsite- Arizona; before specializing in glass beads, first as a retail establishment, then in 1998 as an import house.

The owners are Jamie and Guy Lynn, a wife and husband team. Both were in corporate employment during the beginning days of Wild Things Beads importing of beads.

Jamie and her Mom, Vi had opened a bead store in Livermore, California; Jamie leaving first to run the store, then Vi following 6 months later. They ran a successful operation for 8 years before realizing that focusing on importing directly was what they really wanted to do. In 1996 Wild Things went to Zimbabwe on a personal visit to visit with Guy’s family, and while there sought out African artifacts to import into the U.S. for sale, including hand made stone beads from local villagers. At that point, they realized that this was what they wanted to do.

The next year Wild Things Beads went to Europe hunting for beads, and bead factories. Armed with information that Jamie had collected through the years and books on the history of bead making in Bohemia, Germany and Italy, and a quick search of the internet the day before they left, they set off on a 5 week adventure of the Netherlands, Northern and Southern Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, even though their current Czech bead supplier warned them it would be too difficult, no one would speak English, the factories wouldn’t let them in, it would be too expensive, and just let him keep supplying them.

And it was difficult, hardly anyone did speak English, some factories wouldn’t let them in, they spent a lot of money looking, but they had fun, met many wonderful people, ate lots of great food, and beer, and found beads, or more precisely, bead factories. Only 2 factories in Czech Republic, 1 in Austria, and 1 in Germany, but it was a start. Like any new business relationship, they had to pay up front, and hope the beads would arrive in California 2 months later, after they were home. One factory was a cash and carry stock purchase, and they carried the beads with them over the Czech border into Austria, where they were immediately accused of smuggling them in. Once that was resolved, they mailed the box of beads home, instead of carrying it over all the other borders still to come. Having experienced that, they now ship everything home straight from the factories.

After the trip back from Europe, Guy Lynn, Jamie’s husband, decided to join the wonderful world of beads with the two of them! So now, there are three of us!

Wild Things Beads has gone back almost every year since, sometimes twice in one year. They now buy from approximately 18 Czech bead factories, and 5 German bead factories and 3 butotn factories.

Not only do they buy beads from the factory sample charts, but they also have custom make colors and shapes, re – introducing vintage beads that haven’t been made in a while, and create new beads using mold makers who specialize in beads.

Examples of the beads Wild Things Beads offers are pressed fancy shapes such as: ladybugs, tennis shoes, fish, bicones, squares, druks, cathedrals, window beads, faceted round beads called firepolish, lampwork beads (which are handmade one bead at a time), and metalized seed beads with a facet, known as charlotte cuts, made in gold, silver, copper and marcasite.
As well as the glass beads, Wild Things also imports crystal prisms from Preciosa, a large and very old chandelier manufacturer.

Wild Things Beads realizes it faces heavy competition from other, older and larger importers, but thinks it can keep an advantage by finding new beads, bringing them to market first, and keeping an ear to the ground on new trends in the industry.

Wild Things Beads shows at the Rodeway Inn in room #148 during the G& LW show in February and September, and the Gem Mall #129 in February and various other trade shows.

In July, 2004 Viola (Jamie’s Mom) left Wild Things Beads to go on to other ventures.

Wild Things Beads continues to create new shapes of beads and buttons.