Ann C.

Pre pandemic Shipwreck Beads had the best bead quality and uniformity. Was able to bead quickly without picking through beads. The pandemic caused a Czech bead shortage resulting in beads being on back order. Once beads became available again, they are half the height they were before back order, making for sloppy beadwork that is not uniform. Interfacing with beads pre back order is problematic because they are two different heights and they don't lay flat next to seed beads pre pandemic and back order. It looks like the Czech beadmaker cut them shorter to increase the number of beads made to meet demands. While understandable, it cuts the number of usable beads significantly (more than half are unusable for current projects), and greatly increases work time as you have to pick through beads to find one that's the correct height. No idea whether bead height will ever return to former height in the future. Any beads you had prior to back order will not fit with these shorter beads. Very disappointing a previously great company now has sub par quality beads after many years of selling a uniform high quality bead. Representative of the company did not acknowledge awareness of the newer shorter beads. Bead and shop accordingly!