Beyond Beads

I had a fantastic experience at Beyond Beads. Not only do they have a rich selection of beads — Gal was very informed and super helpful for the hardware side of beading too. He was very patience helping me find the perfect wires and clasps for my project. It was a fun and productive trip. These guys are GREAT :)

Came over here excited to buy beads. I paid for a meter only to find they are closed. It’s approaching 10:15 and they are supposed to be open at 10. I see people inside with headphones on and when I call it rings forever then hangs up on you. Thanks for wasting my time and money– I’ll be taking my business elsewhere.

Found this place after finding General Bead both over AND underwhelming. For some reason everything I want/​need there is sold out when I get to the counter, never to be ordered again. I gave up.
There is literally a HUGE selection here of beads, findings, supplies, chain, and etc. if you are lucky enough to come in when the owner is there, he is happy to give advice or help you choose tools or supplies you might need for a specific project. (When he doesn’t get stuck dealing with some crazy street people that wander in to look at and steal some shiny things). Lots of unusual findings, charms, etc to make unique pieces. Great discounts as well.
If you don’t see what you need, make sure and ask… they might have something in the back or in a tiny drawer somewhere that is exactly what you’re looking for.

Absolutely love this store for their prices and variety of beads. Had an extremely awkward moment today however when I purchased over $ 135 worth of beads and was asked if I wanted a bag. Yes I know the new bag law however this was the first time I’d been asked such an inappropriate question. The discounts they offer are great here but common sense would tell one to fork over a PAPER bag and not reuse some Home Depot bag that was shoved near the register.

Wow! For those of you who like to do their own jewelry, this place is heaven on earth!
Amazing selection of beads of all sizes, shapes and colors, and beading tools. I had the luck and honor to meet the owner. I came there needing parts to fix several pairs of earrings. The owner was so generous with his time and advice! He helped me pick up the parts, decides which ones I need, and how to go about the repair economically. And during daytime, meter parking near the store is very easy.

This place is amazing !!! it’s cheap, easy, they have a lot of alternatives and the staff is very nice and helpful. She did generously explain and help me mount my necklaces. I do highly recommend them. Thank you :)

The staff is nice but the selection is so small.
They have a lot of strands of semi-​precious stones but that’s about it. You can’t really buy in bulk and they have a tiny stock of findings.
I would recommend going here if you were a first time beader but I wouldn’t use this shop as a home base for my jewelry business.

This store has a great selection of bead and crystals and the staff member who assisted me was very helpful. Along with beads, findings and chain this store has a variety of other unique metal items such as charms. I recommend checking out this store.
The down side: The store is a couple blocks from the Civic Center BART station (which is convenient), but the many people I encountered along the walk were scary.

Love this store. The prices are decent and selection is good. I’ve never had bad service, only had to wait a little because the sales person helping other customers.
The reason I gave 4 stars is due to going back twice to get more silver chain that they usually carry and they were out of stock. I can say it was bad planning on my part, but it was a big bummer to not get my friend’s birthday present finished in time.

This bead store is ok. They have some unique stuff and a pretty varied selection. Prices are fairly reasonable. I just didn’t find much that I was really looking for in terms of gemstones.
I’ve definitely been to much better bead stores. That being said, SF is suprisingly pretty deprived of good bead shops. This is as good as it gets in the city (although I haven’t been to Yone yet).

amazing selection.
the owner is so accommodating and will help you find anything you may need.
i come here at least once a month and every time i can’t walk out without dropping a pretty penny… this is my only complaint. :)

Bundle up your trip to Beyond Beads with a stop at General Bead, and you’ll have yourself a jewelry bonanza. Wow, that was cheesy. But I’m serious. Beyond Beads doesn’t have the basics, like extensive collections of colorful seed beads or clasps or anything like that – you’ll have to go to General – but it has a bountiful array of what I have personally dubbed «centerpiece» beads. These are the pieces that inspire the rest of the jewelry… the interesting basis for a collection of earrings, the sculpted metal chains that take your necklace to the next level, the crystals that sparkle from a mile away, that sort of thing. It’s all there, and it’s all beautiful. There’s also a great assortment of vintage buttons and metal doo-​dads to sort through, if you have the time.
My one complaint is with the organization. The store isn’t laid out in the most logical fashion; many of the crucial items, like pins and crimp beads and earwires, are located in hard-​to spot boxes on the floor. I say put that stuff where we can see it!

This is okay. I’ve definitely been to better places. Wish they had a bigger selection and cheaper prices. Next time I’m planning a big project I’ll probably just hit up one of the bigger/​less expensive places in Berkeley that I’m more familiar with.
The staff is okay, not the most helpful, but not terrible. Had to stand around while she stood there watching over some chick who was taking forever to look through boxes they had behind the corner. The employee really should’ve told her to wait a minute and rung me up before she continued with the woman, but oh well.

Beyond Beads is great neighborhood craft store for me.
I go there to generally buy chains and clasps more than anything.
I like the place for being very accessible and have a great variety of glass beads that are not pricey. As well as lots of cramps, clasps, spacers and other small things are also in very good price range as well.
Unfortunately, a lot of materials I use for my jewelry are swarovski crystals and fresh water pearls, and they are not as strong at those materials.
But for me, Beyond Beads definitely serve the purpose for my needs, and I like the place.

Holy guacamole!
So I’m on a little bit of a glass kick — let me explain.
Have you ever seen glass blowing in action? There’s something mesmerizing about glowing hot glass that then gets molded into whatever shape your heart desires.
The end product? Gorgeous.
So those of you in the know, know that you can get Murano glass pendants. They’re tiny pieces of art. Kinda pricey for, you know, GLASS, but hey, art is pricey, right?
NOT!
If you’re a fan of glass pendants or glass beads, you NEED to stop by this store. (It’s got a lot of other types of beads too — some agates that were quite nice — but given my current glass fixation, and the sheer amount of beadage at this store, I only had time and energy to check out the glass ones.)
With a little sifting through, you can find beautiful pieces for earrings or necklaces.
Not sure how to make jewelry? Ask the staff — they can show you how it’s done. If you’re extra nice, they may even do it for you! ;)
The best part? The price.
Once you go to this place, you won’t shop elsewhere for your glass jewelry.
Enjoy, fellow glass-​lover!

My first time over here was a bit of a turn-​off due to a mugging I witnessed in the middle of broad daylight, but once I got over that I’m an occasional shopper here.
The prices are decent for many of the strands of beads; the individual beads are perhaps a bit pricey, but if you’ve got a small project, maybe they’re worth it. The silver chains are ok price-​wise, offers a good selection and worth a look. It’s really easy to spend more than you planned, so come with a list and stick to it.
Regarding the customer service, it’s ok, but I get the sense that my patronage is not appreciated until they see me carrying a tray full of beads.
I would appreciate being able to see the precious beads up close rather than them hanging behind the counter. I understand that they are expensive, but putting them in a locked glass case would seem more secure to me. Anyway, if you want to see several you have to ask to see a strand and I am particular about the color variations in strands, so I have to point out which specific one that I want to see. Meh, it’s kinda a pain.

I was turned off literally the moment I set foot in the store.
No sooner had I cleared the threshold than I was admonished that I had only about 12 minutes to shop because the store was closing for lunch.
Now, I understand that there are laws dictating employees get at least 30 minutes for lunch per 6 hours worked. And, admittedly, the young lady who made the announcement was alone so it’s not like she had someone there to cover for her. BUT, in our current economic environment, it seems almost ridiculous to chase three paying customers out of the store in the middle of the day and lock the doors. There has to be a better way. Maybe operate 6 hours a day? As it is they’re only open 7 hours M-​F anyhow so that’s a mere 30-​minute net reduction… at either the beginning or end rather than smack-​dab in the middle, please.
What I was able to see of their stock looked decent and the prices reasonable, but I’ll probably spend my money at General Bead instead from now on.

BEADS!
I had to contain myself.
But it was hard.
The prices are good and they have a huge selection of findings and some good chain at a really affordable price.
You can browse and touch the beads which is a plus for a lot of people. I found some really cool things and some really cool pretty things.

I really enjoy this store! It’s not the largest store in the world, yet they seem to have precisely what I am looking for or need.
They have a huge selection of freshwater pearls (which are very hard to resist! great prices on them too), but not only that. I like that I can see and touch any item they have out. :) Tons of strands of semi-​precious stones to choose from. They have a really great selection of chains too — sterling, gold filled, etc., at awesome prices. You can buy the Swarovski’s piece by piece, instead of buying a pack of them, which is very helpful for shoppers such as myself who become somewhat indecisive once faced with so many pretty sparkly options in a store like this.
I think I like this place so much because they don’t waste a lot of time with plastic or flimsy pieces. instead, they have a small store, but packed with a great selection of the ‘good stuff’, and the prices I’ve found to be very reasonble! There’s also a section up front full of misc. glass beads that you can mix and match to your heart’s desire. The girl who working there everytime I’m in, is always friendly when I’m there.
A couple helpful tips. they do take credit card, but with a minimum purchase of $ 20 I think? Or is it $ 25. I can’t remember. Keep that in mind if you’re a non-​cash carrying person like myself. They’re also closed on various days sometimes, so if you are going out of your way to get there, it wouldn’t hurt to call them first to make sure they’re open. I think the hours are until 5pm, too, so don’t get there at 4:45 because you’ll want more time than that to browse around! (I do anyway!)

Great bead store, lots to choose from, with a great selection of sterling silver findings, gemstones, Swarovski, Czech, pearls, plus probably the largest selection I’ve seen locally of all of the vintage-​esque brass findings, chains, etc. You could lose a couple of hours in this place easily.
Staff is mostly friendly — the owner, always helpful and aiming to please.
Parking is usually good, but the neighborhood a little seedy. The windows are huge right in front of the store, yet someone managed to smash and grab a laptop out of the backseat of a car right in front without being noticed in a matter of a few minutes once when I was there. DON’T LEAVE YOUR VALUABLES IN PLAIN SIGHT!!!
Hours can be a little tricky. I don’t exactly live close by, so it’s a haul for me to get there. When I showed up at 2:30 recently, only having a very small window of time before an appointment across town, there was a sign on the door stating they were out to lunch and would be back at 3:00 PM. Now if I saw this on the door at noon or thereabouts, I could understand it, but who expects a shop to closed at this time of day for lunch? I was a little put off by this. I don’t want to waste my gas and my time if I can’t count on you to be open when you should be.
They close at 4:00 PM I believe and they rush you out practically on the dot. Most other bead shops I have gone to will let you finish up without rushing you. Not the case here; they’ll practically escort you out of the place if you’re not quite done shopping.
All of this said, it’s still a fine little bead shop and I love visiting, but mostly just because of the inventory.