About Us & Our Online Bead Shop
The Big Bead Little Bead shop is a family owned business managed by Anna Weller and her husband Toby. It was established in October 2009 in the market town of Hitchin, Hertfordshire.
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The philosophy behind this online bead shop grew out of Anna’s desire to create a craft business that would provide a challenge, build on her skills in costume and theatre design, whilst giving her time with her then two year old son Ellis … and so our bead shop was born. With Ellis now fourteen, both he and the bead shop are flourishing!
Opening a bead shop based solely online may seem a drawback given the tactile nature of jewellery making supplies, but aware of this from the start we worked hard to create a well presented, easy to use, and a visually welcoming online bead shop window. With Anna keen to provide the same friendly and informative service expected from a bricks and mortar bead shop, we planned everything from the clean website design, to the presentation of our Bead Guides and Glossaries, even discussing the paper and ribbon used to wrap your bead shop purchases!
Admittedly, only we get the pleasure of handling the beads and jewellery making supplies ahead of your order, but the main aim of our online bead shop is to convey simply and accurately what you will receive when you place an order. Having had successful careers working in the photographic world we used this experience to ensure that our Product Imagery and Descriptions complement the jewellery making supplies that we showcase to you. Keen to offer both Artist Made Beads and Vintage Beads we were aware that we had to show the quality and condition of these pieces prior to your purchase, ensuring our product images were supported by an honest appraisal in our product descriptions. What you see through our bead shop window should be exactly what you see when you unwrap your order, and we know we have succeeded if you feel that heart pleasing ooh factor as you part the wrapping paper and your items are revealed!
Our jewellery making supplies are sourced from around the world and we are always in search of new additions to grow our UK online bead shop, particularly if they help to fuel our own love for Vintage Beads and Handmade Beads straight from the workshops of independent artist makers. To this end we are happy to source jewellery making supplies on your behalf, or indeed to help you become one of our talented Artist Beadmakers.
We hope you have found this little bit about us of interest. In turn your Feedback is encouraged as we build on our knowledge and yours to make this UK online bead shop a bigger and better resource for your needs. So having read a bit about us now see what our customers are saying about our jewellery making supplies and customer service on our Customer Feedback page.
We hope you also enjoy your online bead shop experience with us and return regularly to fill up your Customer Loyalty Card.
With best wishes
Anna & Toby
Our Social Media Pages
Our Bead Shop Contact Details
- Contact Us Form
- Email: info@bigbeadlittlebead.com
- Postal Address: Woodlands, Park Street, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG4 9AH, UK
Our Bead Shop Customer Information
A Selection from our Bead Guides & Glossaries
- Beading Glossary
- Beading Needles Guide
- Birthstones Guide
- Gemstones & Minerals Guide
- History of Charms & Charm Bracelets
- History of Czech Glass
- History of Venetian Glass
- Making Paper Beads
- Miriam Haskell
- Mohs Scale of Hardness
- Theory of Using Colour
Many of these articles are available as free PDF downloads