May 17

Today is the last day we will be hunting, shopping and roaming all over the hillsides for Czech glass beads and buttons.

The town of Jablonec from a distance as drove into the Jizera Mountains to get to a factory.

We started off our day early, most of us waking up around 6:45am to make sure we were ready for our bus at 8:00am.
We drove to a metal filigree factory, where we saw the tool shop and then watched a production run of filigree with really loud stamping and cutting of metal filigree. We were the first group to tour the factory floor.

Then we loaded up into the bus and drove to the Preciosa-Ornela seed bead factory bead shop in Zasada. It is the only seed bead factory in Europe, and the only reason Preciosa purchased Jablonex in 2010 was to get the Ornela seed bead factory.

Guy and Stephney being a little silly with their pasties..

 Glass mosaic on the wall in the seed bead shop.

After lunch, the long anticipated Antik warehouse run by Gypsies. We all loaded up on vintage stuff. Some ladies were willing to stay overnight they were having so much fun and had very dirty hands..

 Even our bus driver, Petr, dug in. He collects trains, and found some engines, train tracks and a landscape scene. 

I found antique eye cabochons and buttons. Don't I look creepy? I am sure when our Granddaughter see this she will be running from me.

But finally all things had  to come to an end, and we drove back to the hotel to settle up and arrange payments and shipping details.


Then off to the cavern for dinner.

J- Me and Guy are the owners of Wild Things Beads, a small family run import business specializing in Czech glass beads and buttons and finding the unusual to bring to their warehouse. They also run working bead tours to Jablonec and Hong Kong. Their warehouse is located deep in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California, and can be reached by phone at (530)743 1339 or on the web at www.wildthingsbeads.com. They are also open by appointment at their warehouse.