While I often visit the “beading superstores” online, I sometimes like to go poking around the lesser-known online stores looking for something a little different.

Here are a few of the really unique and “out of the ordinary” bead site supply sites I’ve run across lately.

Artbeads.com - A great, simple, straightforward site that has all sorts of unique and rarely seen sort of beads and supplies. This site has a little bit of everything and I’ve only had good experiences working with them. They have supplies, clearance specials, gold, silver, gemstones, glass and just about everything else! They even have some pretty good tips and tricks with photos. There’s no minimum order, so you can order as little or as much as you like!

Dragon Art, Inc. – This barebones site is perfectly set up for just browsing and ordering beautiful beads. They carry some pretty unique pieces, glass beads and even a full line of mini perfume bottles. They don’t have a large inventory, but they have a very easy-to-navigate site and they’re a joy to work with. Many, but not, all of the pieces have an oriental flare with vibrant colors. There is a minimum limit of $50 but it’s easy to find a lot to love!

Smead Beads – Not the prettiest site in the world, but it’s kind of like walking into a bargain basement bead store that has some interesting finds. Specializing in “small quantity packaging” they have plenty of Swarovski, silver and metal pieces as well as gemstones, glass and beading tools and supplies.

Beaver’s Bead Dam – A small store located in Florida, they have growing collecting of interesting pieces I haven’t seen before. I especially like their pendants section. They have a similar look to Smead Beads (they both use the same shopping cart system) but their inventory is fairly different.

Sunshine Crafts – Okay, I admit, their website is pretty bad, but their prices are pretty amazing. If you can plow through the confusing categories and strange navigation on the page you can actually find some great deals and sales. I’ll often poke around here if I’m just looking for filler beads.

Two Purple Pandas – Not really my kind of beads, but they do carry a lot of great metal charms, resin decorations and even items that can be used for jewelry or scrapbooking. If you’re looking for a bead of a certain theme and a charm or resin item will do, then this might be the place to look first.

Keep on beading!