Creations, Prayer Beads

Etsy Anglican Prayer Bead Vendor Comparison (Part 3)

Ten Etsy.com Anglican prayer bead (APB) vendors (of the 75 vendors researched for this 3-part series) offer more than 25 full-size APBs in their Etsy shops. (See Part 1 and Part 2 to view the earlier posts in this series.) This blog post offers May 2016 statistics about these 10 top-producing vendors who represent 13% of the researched group. The vendors are listed in order based on the most to the least number of APBs offered for sale.

  • TwoOddSisters–This vendor offers 159 APBs and a total of 414 products. Other products include jewelry, purses, key rings, wine glass rings, zipper pulls, and knitting markers. Only APBs are offered (no Catholic rosaries or other types of prayer beads). APB prices range from $25-35 and include a crocheted storage bag. APBs do not have a Resurrection bead. They are constructed with wire loop connectors or silver lame thread. The vendor joined Etsy in 2012 and has made 91 sales. Shipping is $3 to US addresses only. Thirty nine people have designated this a favorite shop for an average of 9.75 favorites/year. Shop owners Irene and Elaine are based in Greenville, NC. They offer a nice variety of APB components and crosses.
  • EveryBlessedBead–This vendor offers 57 APBs and a total of 78 products. Other products include APB key fobs, chaplets, and bracelets. Only APBs are offered (no Catholic rosaries or other types of prayer beads). APB prices range from $27-38 and include a velveteen storage bag, a 90-day free restringing guarantee, and an informational brochure with suggested prayers. APBs do not have a Resurrection bead. They are constructed with 49 strand .24mm AccuFlex beading wire, crimps, and crimp covers. Shipping to US addresses is free via USPS Priority Mail. Shipping to other countries is available for $10 flat rate. Twenty six people have designated this a favorite shop. The vendor joined Etsy in 2015 and has made 56 sales. All proceeds from this vendor’s Etsy sales are donated to Zion Episcopal Church in Dobbs Ferry, NY. The APBs are made by a variety of church members.
  • UnspokenElements–This vendor offers 54 APBs and a total of 63 products. Other products include one-decade chaplets and bracelets. Only APBs are offered (no Catholic rosaries or other types of prayer beads). APB prices range from $24-28 and include a drawstring pouch, gift box, prayer guide, and 90-day free restringing guarantee. APBs have a Resurrection bead. They are constructed with  beading wire and metal crimps. APBs include seed bead spacer beads or no spacers at all.  They feature genuine gemstones and wood components. Shipping to US addresses is $3.50 via USPS. Shipping t0 Canada is $10 and $14 to other countries via USPS First Class International. The vendor joined Etsy in 2012 and has made 969 sales. Five hundred and twenty six people have designated this a favorite shop for an average of 131.5 favorites/year. The shop owner, Heather, has a Facebook page and another Etsy shop that sells Malas and yoga-inspired jewelry.
  • JoyfulEarthDesigns–This vendor offered 50 APBs in May 2016, but the store’s entire stock was removed shortly thereafter. The vendor says she will be adding more APBs to her shop soon. Other products include pocket prayer beads and worry beads. Only APBs are offered (no Catholic rosaries). APB prices range from $31-68 and include an organza pouch and an explanation sheet with sample prayer. APBs have no Resurrection bead. They are constructed using  beading wire and metal crimps. APBs include seed bead spacer beads, lampworked beads, and semi-precious stones.  Shipping to US addresses is $2.50 via USPS. The vendor joined Etsy in 2014 and has made 59 sales. Fifty two people have designated this a favorite shop for an average of 26 favorites/year. The shop owner, Mary Lindridge, lives in Cottage Grove, MN.
  • SweetChildJewelry–This vendor offers 41 APBs and a total of 296 products. Other products include polymer clay pins, jewelry, house blessing cases, and beads. Only APBs are offered (no Catholic rosaries or other types of prayer beads). APB prices range from $33-56 and include a storage pouch, gift wrap, and a brochure with APB history, use, and sample prayers. APBs have no Resurrection bead. They are constructed with  steel beading wire, silver- or gold-plated extra-long crimp beads, and seed bead spacer beads. APBs feature polymer clay beads and crosses. All products feature polymer clay. Shipping to US addresses is $3.85 via USPS. Shipping t0 Canada is $10.28 and $14.31 to other countries. The vendor joined Etsy in 2008 and has made 470 sales. Two thousand six hundred and seventy six people have designated this a favorite shop for an average of 334.5 favorites/year. The shop owner, Virginia Soskin from Orlando, FL, sells her products on Amazon.com and has a Facebook page and Pinterest presence, in addition to her Etsy shop. She is an avid polymer clay artist.
  • KristiLynGlass–This vendor is the author of this series of articles. Her Etsy shop offers 36 APBs and a total of 100 products. Other products include jewelry, glass-topped decorative multi-day pillboxes, and SteedBeads (TM) (jingling beaded necklaces for horses). Only APBs are offered (no Catholic rosaries or other types of prayer beads). APB prices are $32 and include a drawstring velveteen pouch, lifetime restringing guarantee, and a 16-page full-color booklet containing the history and use of APBs and many sample prayers. APBs have a Resurrection bead. They are constructed with 49-strand (softest drape) professional quality coated stainless steel beading wire and super-secure gold- or silver-plated Magic Findings instead of crimps. APBs feature glass, metal, and stone components, and each set is unique. Some of the crosses or other components were created or commissioned by the artist. Some APBs are long enough to be worn as necklaces. Shipping to US addresses is $7 via USPS Priority Mail. Shipping t0 Canada is $12 and $14 to other countries via USPS First Class Package International. The vendor joined Etsy in 2006 and has made 143 sales. One hundred and forty three people have designated this a favorite shop for an average of 14.3 favorites/year. The shop owner, Kristi Lyn Glass, is located in Elko, NV. She also has a personal website, and blog. She calls herself The Full Spectrum Artist, because, in addition to her various Etsy offerings, she also creates fine art in a wide variety of media.
  • TeresaLouiseDesign–This vendor offers 36 APBs and a total of 166 products. Other products include jewelry, rosaries, bookmarks, and rosary bracelets. APB prices range from $14.22-23.55 and include a gift box and free shipping to US addresses (ships to US only). APBs have no Resurrection bead. They are constructed with  beading wire and metal crimps and have either seed spacer beads or no spacer beads. The vendor joined Etsy in 2012 and has made 171 sales. Sixty people have designated this a favorite shop for an average of 15 favorites/year. The hobbyist shop owner, Teresa Ackerly, lives in Monroe, NC, and likes to work with glass beads.
  • KristansCross–This vendor offers 30 APBs and a total of 110 products. Other products include rosaries, necklaces, bracelets, and destash beads. APB are $20 each and include lifetime free repair and return shipping if you pay to send the broken item to the vendor. APBs do not have a Resurrection bead. They are constructed with beading wire and metal crimps. Most sets have crosses constructed from silver-plated wire wrapped into a cross shape. A variety of mixed bead sizes/shapes is sometimes used in an irregular manner. Shipping to US addresses is $3.45 via USPS First Class Mail. Shipping to Canada is $10.03 and $13+ to other countries. The vendor joined Etsy in 2010 and has made 116 sales. Sixty people have designated this a favorite shop for an average of 10 favorites/year. The vendor, Kristan Payne, lives in Columbus, OH, and focuses her life of God through her art. She also has a blog, an Ebay shop, and Twitter and Pinterest accounts.
  • LavenderDove7–This vendor offers 30 APBs and a total of 45 products. Other products include rosaries and jewelry. APB prices range from $18-45 and include a velour pouch and free US shipping. APBs have no Resurrection bead. They are constructed with  either wire loops or beading wire and metal crimps with crimp covers. APBs feature crosses or other pendants, such as doves or angels. Vendor offers option of inserting clasp into wire loop APBs so they may be worn as a necklace. Shipping to US addresses is free via USPS. Shipping t0 Canada is $8 and $12 to other countries via USPS. The vendor joined Etsy in 2015 and has made 15 sales. Thirty three people have designated this a favorite shop. The shop owner, Cindy Cima Edwards, lives in Heber Springs, AR. She has a blog, website, and another Etsy shop to sell her jewelry, as jewelry design is her primary passion. She has had her jewelry creations mentioned and published in many online and print media outlets.
  • AbabeadsKC–This vendor offers 26 APBs and a total of 460 products. Other products include rosaries and jewelry. APB prices range from $15-30. APBs do not have a Resurrection bead. They are constructed with either wire loops or beading wire and metal crimps. Many crosses are crucifixes. Custom sets are offered. Shipping to US addresses is $3 via USPS Priority Mail. Shipping via USPS to Canada is $4.50 and $10 to other countries. Three hundred eighty two people have designated this a favorite shop for an average of 63.7 favorites per year. The vendor, Beth Ann Ridenour, is from Kansas City, MO. She joined Etsy in 2010 as a jewelry artist and has made 1066 sales. She especially likes to make custom orders and offers many options for this type of APB at very reasonable prices.

Of the 75 Etsy APB vendors researched for this series, a few others that offer 25 or fewer APBs in their shops are worth a mention.

  • VowanGems–This vendor offers 25 APBs and a total of 351 products. Other products include a variety of jewelry. This vendor is most noted for using 14K gold-filled crimps, gemstone beads, and sterling silver crosses, bringing the price range for APBs up to $38-64.
  • KippysKreations–This vendor offers 24 APBs and a total of 1689 products. Other products include jewelry, pet prodocts, hair accessories, rosaries, and chaplets. Since 2008, 1375 people have favorited this shop. This vendor is most noted for its large number of products, its APB construction using 49-strand (softest drape) coated stainless steel wire or wire loop connectors, and its use of gemstone and crystal beads.
  • PraiseBead–This New Zealand vendor offers 23 APBs and a total of 205 products. Other products include chaplets, Christian bracelets, jewelry, and 12-step beads. Since 2008, this shop has been favorited by 959 people. Two women support themselves and their families through their shop sales.
  • PrayerWorksStudio–This vendor is Kristen Vincent, author of A Bead and a Prayer. She offers only 17 APBs and a total of 78 products, but her shop has made 5016 sales since it opened in 2009. She has written other APB books, and she speaks and conducts APB-making workshops around the country. She also sells chaplets, prayer strands, APB kits, prayer cards, rosaries, and her books through her Etsy shop.
  • WildflowerAdornments–This vendor offers 16 APBs and 89 total products. She offers regular APBs as well as jewelry and APB necklaces using wire wrapped or wire loop connections, Swarovski components, gemstone beads, and artistic designs.
  • SwanCollection–This Swiss vendor offers 16 APBs and 360 total products. Other products include rosaries, jewelry, antiques, and Greek Kombolois. The vendor is most noted for its APBs’ semi-precious gemstones, solid silver or gold findings, and free shipping worldwide. APB prices start at $79.95 and top at $675. If you’re looking for an heirloom-quality set of APBs, this could be your source.
  • SusanLloyd–This vendor offers only 10 APBs, but has 589 total products and 4,609 sales since she joined Etsy in 2009. She also sells Lutheran prayer beads (different pattern than APBs or rosaries), rosaries, malas, pater nosters, jewelry, key rings, bolo ties, tie bars, and hair accessories. She specializes in gemstone beads and enjoys the folklore related to them. She offers a lifetime APB restringing guarantee.

If this series of posts has been useful to you, if I have missed any significant Etsy APB vendors, or if any of the information in this series is inaccurate, please leave a comment on this post. Please keep in mind that the statistics offered were accurate as of May 2016. See Part 1 and Part 2 of this series for more information about my Anglican prayer bead market research.

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