Smiting a bead comprises of a whole lot of processes from sourcing of materials to finishing, materials are gotten from a bead market situated on Lagos island, I patronise a particular bead seller, one which I have known since 2009 and I am certain of his beads quality.

The beads types vary on the customers demand, beads type range from pearls, broken beads, glass beads, coated beads, suede beads, coral beads, etc.
My most used type of beads is the pearls, because it is very unique, and designs are beautiful with them, pearls are known for royalty, high class and distinction. They are worn by the Queen of England, who is known for her impeccable taste in jewellery.
Quality of beads differ, infact beads are sold based on their quality, beads come in plastic form (that is the least quality) these are imitation of original beads made in plastic form.
For my smiting, I use average pearl type, its durable but it has a life span, unlike the most original type of pearls that last forever. The most original type of pearls are quite pricey, because of my present target market, I smith pearls which are affordable and averagely durable.
My designs are basically handmade, so I make use of the best kind of tools from pliers, cutter, scissors etc to smith beads. Designs which involve the use of machines can be classified into another type of jewellery making called Wire works (making jewellery with wire (gold or silver) and beads using a machine)
Time taken to smith beads depends on the design been worked on, for example a single layered pearl necklace would take about five to seven minutes to smith, while a triple layered pearl necklace, probably one with a complicated design would take about two hours to smith satisfactorily.
Quality and skill in smiting process is of utmost importance, quality involves smiting a perfect bead, and this begins with selecting a quality bead, choosing a unique design, and then proceeding to working with the best tools available, which in turn produces sophisticated jewellery.
When selecting beads, I choose beads of high quality, and I always buy in bulk for future orders, after which I come up with a design or if the customer has a design in mind I follow their specification, then proceed to layout the beads on the beading board and start the smiting process: Stringing every bead carefully, and ensuring a neatly finished and perfectly smithed bead!
A potential client of Elizabeth Cress is one who has a good taste for fine things, values quality and loves looking unique. Our customers are catered to with the warmest reception, because they are our Queens, we treat them as royalty because that is what they deserve and they exhibit in their choice of choosing Elizabeth Cress for their jewellery needs.

Our customers range from professionals in various fields, socialites, etc they love to wear unique jewellery, I would say they would not mind it been custom made for them alone, due to their love for uniqueness and to maintain the highly ranked class which they possess.
My customers maintain a lifestyle which involves them been displayed in top fashion magazines, internet fashion sites, their lifestyle is one which is profiled on a regular basis and it requires they look their very best.

For professionals in various fields, take for example, a CEO of a multinational company, she has an image to portray in terms of appearance and style, so she wears authentic fresh water pearl jewellery set regularly, one which matches her outfit and also reflects her taste.


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