Project Length Custom Length
Length: Length:
Bead width: Bead width: mm
Beads required: Beads required:

Our Customer Service Promise

Delighting customers through exemplary customer service is as important to us as providing good quality beads and jewellery making supplies. We intend to please through good old fashioned customer service. This remains the case even if things have gone slightly amiss. If you are not totally delighted with any part of your order then neither are we, and with our customer service promise you will see us act quickly to resolve any queries and rectify any issues you may have. We would like you to judge us both on our day to day customer service as well as our response on the rare occasions when problems may arise with your order.

No Quibble Returns

Items can be returned if they were damaged in shipping, are not of sufficient quality, or are just unsuitable for your purposes. If there has been a mix up with your order, please notify us straight away. We really try hard to despatch everything as requested but occasionally mistakes can be made.

  • Please contact us using our Contact Us Form or by E-mail if all or part of your order is found to be damaged, incomplete or unsuitable.

  • Unsuitable items should then be packaged properly to avoid damage and sent with a copy of the original order as proof of purchase. If these items are received undamaged in a saleable condition we will issue a refund.

  • When returning a faulty or damaged item please enclose a note giving the reason for the return and details of the fault or damage along with your name, address and order number.

  • We are unable to give a credit or refund for items which have been assembled unless the item is shown to be faulty. Any item sold by cut length will not usually be exchanged unless it is found to be faulty. Nor can we accept products that have been taken off their temporary strings.

  • Due to EU Hygiene Regulations we regret that earring findings are non returnable.

  • Please obtain a Certificate of Posting from the Post Office prior to returning items as we cannot be held responsible for the non receipt of returns.

  • We will refund the total amount paid by you for the returned goods upon receipt.

  • We will not cover any shipping cost incurred for returns or return of goods for exchange. If an item is found to be faulty or damaged then post and packaging charges will be refunded at our discretion.

  • Our postal address for returns is Big Bead Little Bead, Woodlands, Park Street, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG4 9AH

Order Problems

  • If you’ve having difficulty ordering; would like to check how an order is progressing; or if there is a problem with your order when it arrives, please contact us using the details below, so that we have the opportunity to resolve any queries and rectify any issues quickly and efficiently.

  • Similarly, if you are having difficulty using our website, or there appear to be technical problems, please contact us and we will process your order manually.

  • We send an automated email notification when you place your order and a second when your order has been despatched, so please ensure your email address is correct when setting it up in My Account at registration.

Contact Details

  • If there is anything that we can help you with please use our Contact Us Form or E-mail Us. Our office hours are Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 6.00pm but being a 24/7 operation we will respond to emails outside of these hours.

  • We can also be contacted through our our social media pages Customer Contact Blogger   Customer Contact Facebook   Customer Contact Flickr   Customer Contact Google+   Customer Contact Pinterest   Customer Contact Twitter

Payment Security

  • We take internet security seriously and ensure any information you supply is safeguarded. All credit card and Paypal transactions are processed using the secure Streamline services provided by Worldpay. For piece of mind when you place your order you will notice that the website address changes from http: to https: confirming that the transaction is encrypted. We accept

We Accept Visa Debit Card Payment We Accept Visa Electron Card Payment We Accept Mastercard Card Payment We Accept Maestro Card Payment We Accept JCB Card Payment We Accept Paypal Payment

Postage Costs

Postage costs are based on a flat rate determined by your order value and location. This pricing information can be seen alongside your Bead Basket. For more details relating to placing orders please study our Terms & Conditions.

  • UNITED KINGDOM – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Sent by Royal Mail First Class

For orders up to £30 – £1.50
For orders up to £50 – £2.50
For orders up to £100 – £3.00
Orders over £100 are Posted Free of Charge

  • EUROPE – including the Republic Of Ireland

Sent by Royal Mail Airmail

For orders up to £30 – £3.00
For orders up to £50 – £4.20
For orders up to £100 – £7.00
Orders over £100 – postage will be charged at cost up to a maximum of £15

  • WORLD ZONE 1 – including Americas, Africa, Middle East, Far East & South East Asia

Sent by Royal Mail Airmail

For orders up to £30 – £4.50
For orders up to £50 – £7.95
For orders up to £100 – £10.00
Orders over £100 – postage will be charged at cost up to a maximum of £20

  • WORLD ZONE 2 – including Australia, New Zealand & Pacific Rim

Sent by Royal Mail Airmail

For orders up to £30 – £4.50
For orders up to £50 – £7.95
For orders up to £100 – £10.00
Orders over £100 – postage will be charged at cost up to a maximum of £20

Sourcing Products

  • If you are looking for a specific product that you cannot find in our online bead shop, or you wish to purchase larger quantities of an item than are available please contact us and we will be happy to assist.

Are you a Beadmaker?

  • We have a good number of artist beadmakers who offer their beads and pendants through our website and we are always looking to expand our Artist Made product range. But to do this we need you! We are eager to hear from artisans and small scale independent beadmakers working with any manner of materials and techniques, who may already be marketing their designs, or may simply want to test the waters. If you are interested read more in our Artist Beadmakers Wanted Guide.

Discounts For Bead Clubs & Bead Groups

  • We are keen to contact UK based bead clubs and bead groups with the aim of updating our List of Beading Groups UK. and in return we offer a special discount voucher code for all your group members. If you run a club or group and you are not already on our list please get in touch to learn more.

Printed Catalogue

  • We do not produce a printed product catalogue as it would prove too difficult to maintain. Our Online Bead Shop is updated on a daily basis with new products added and out of stock items removed, particularly in our Vintage and Artist Made ranges where replacements are often diificult to source. With no catalogue to manage we have the freedom to dynamically change our product ranges, reduce our pricing through online promotions, and it also means we are not passing on print costs to our customers through increased product pricing.


Using Our Online Bead Shop

Searching For Products

  • For general searches across all Product Types enter a word or short phrase in the Search Tool found in the top right corner of every page and click the magnifing glass Product Search Tool

  • Depending on the range of Products found they will either be displayed as individual items or as Category Views giving you the choice to further refine your search.

  • To view all the Products available across all Category Views just click the Search All Categories button

Search All Products

  • Alternatively use the tick box Refine Product Search on each Category View to select the Categories you would like to search across and then click the Search Selected Categories button

Search Selected Categories

  • If you are interested in only one Category you can simply click the image for that Category View

  • To find an item using its Product Code, for example 02679-001, add this code to the Search Tool and then click the magnifing glass Product Search Tool


Navigating To Products

  • From our Home Page use the top level Category Views to drill down to the Product Category that interests you.

  • Regular visitors to our online bead shop who are familiar with our stock may just want to view the Products we have added in the last month. Our New Stock page can be accessed from the Menu Bar above or from the Home page.


Filtering Products

  • Having performed a Product Search you may be presented with several pages of Products Results. Firstly you can click the Show All Products button allowing you to scroll down through the results rather than viewing them page by page.

  • You can then use our Filters Menus to further refine your search by bringing Products to the fore based on characteristics such as Category, Colour, Finish, Hole Diameter, Item Type, Pattern, Shape, Size, Material and more. Open a menu and select from the available choices.

Filter Products Tool

Viewing Products In Detail

  • To see detailed information about a Product click on a Product Image to be taken to the Product Details page. This in-depth view provides full Product Descriptions and Purchasing Details, including stock levels, pricing, and discounts for multilple purchases, as well as Related & Complementary Products.

  • Clicking on a Related and Complementary Product image will take you to their Product Details page.

  • By moving your mouse cursor over the large image on the Product Details page you can zoom in to see the finer detail. Refresh the page if this feature does not work initially.


Project Tray

  • Use the Project Tray to view and compare your Product Selections before placing an order. Like a traditional bead tray this allows you to see how items will sit side by side in your finished project. You can add an item to the Project Tray by clicking the Add To Project Tray button found to the left of each product.

Add To Project Tray

  • Items are held in the Project Tray for twenty four hours and you can view your tray at any time from the top menu bar.

  • You can return to your original search by selecting the Continue Shopping button.

Continue Shopping

  • Once you have gathered all the items you need within the Project Tray use the Add All Items to your Bead Basket to place your order.


Bead Calculator

  • The Online Bead Calculator is a quick way to estimate how many beads you need for a particular jewellery design given the size of the beads you are using and the length of the piece. This easy to use tool can be found in the top menu bar.


Placing An Order

  • As you find Products to purchase type a total in the quantity field and click the Add To Basket button Add To Bead Basket

  • You will be shown the Product and the quantity requested in your Bead Basket. You can Continue Shopping Continue Shopping or continue to the Checkout and begin the payment process Checkout

  • In this area you can also manually adjust quantities or Remove items Remove From Bead Basket from your Bead Basket, ensuring you click the Recalculate button Recalculate Bead Basket to update your order value to reflect any changes


Paying For An Order

Once you have finished shopping and have clicked Go To Checkout there are four simple stages to completing your order:

1) Select Adddress – choose a Delivery Address and add any Delivery Instructions you might have for the safe delivery of your package

2) Review Order – check the contents of your order for the final time and apply any Discount Codes or Gift Voucher Codes you may have

3) Payment Method – choose your Payment Method. For Paypal you will be taken to the Paypal login screen and for card transactions you will be asked for your details within the secure card processing service provided by Worldpay

4) Payment Confirmation – wait for a Thank You For Your Order message confirming your order has been recieved. This will be followed by a order confirmation email and then a second email once your order has been despatched

It is then simply a case of waiting for Royal Mail to deliver your jewellery making supplies to your door.

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