Our Company: About Us

Hi, there. My name is Jonna Tobin and I am the owner of Purple Star Beads. The journey began for me when a friend/bead-seller allowed me to help sort through two 26ft trucks filled with Vintage Glass Beads from the basement of a jewelry business in New York.

I was intoxicated with the thrill of opening packages of beads wrapped in newspapers dated April, 1941. I was delighted with The special shapes and vibrant colors of the old beads delighted me then, and continue to be enamored with vintage glass today.

Needless to say, after going through the trucks I had way more beads than I knew what to do with. My brother Tom introduced me to ebay, and Purple Star Beads went into business in 1988.

Purple Star Beads is a home-based business located in Cary, North Carolina. We specialize in Vintage and Contemporary Swarovski Crystal, Vintage, Contemporary, and Lampwork Glass Beads. In addition, we carry Vintage and Contemporary Pendants, Black French Jet from the 1920s, and Vintage Seed Beads.

Vintage Glass Beads have become more difficult to find and my supply of some of the ones that were plentiful have dwindled. As a result, I decided to put together Designer Mixes with various shapes of the same type of vintage glass.