How to save money on your European bracelet / bead obsession

Here are some money saving ideas to make your money go further. After all, frugality means more beads :) Fortunately I am not blessed/cursed with brand loyalty, so I just pick what works and looks cute.

• Necklaces - go off brand.
  
• If you need a longer necklace, attach a cheap bracelet to the back of the necklace. This will make the necklace longer without having to pay more for the longer chain. Your collar or hair will hid the deception.
  
• Check ebay for glass beads. You can get a nice assortment of murano glass beads from China for $10. This will give you some initial choices for colors and designs. It also gives you a few of the less beautiful beads to let your kids pick through and wear.
• Silver nail polish - I've been using it to hid slight flaws in some of the cheaper beads. Seems to work OK so far. (Don't do this on any bead you might want to return.)
• Clear nail polish - I slathered this over a bead I bought from Ebay. I forgot to check which metal it was made out of, still don't know. I religated that bead to my necklace (which my kids don't play with) and coated it in case it was lead-based.
  

Again, I suggest not going cheap on the bracelet itself if you plan to wear it all the time.