You get what you pay for

I wa at Abdullah's North Shore Bead Store in Lake Bluff, IL  the other day.  For many years now I have acquired from him and his brothers beautiful hand crafted ethnic bead from Afghanistan and nearby areas.  One of the most appealing things about these is their handmade look and cultural significance.  Nowadays they are not cheap, especially older items.


We've all gotten used to "Made in China" for just about everything these days.  Well, look what Abdullah showed me.  First a photo of an Afghan bead alongside two Chinese ones.   And then a series of more examples.

He is always getting the comment "Well, I can buy them at such and such for much less."  Not the same thing at all.

Here's another example.  He showed me a gold tone Chinese bangle bracelet and then squeezed it in his hand.  See the following pictures.  It doesn't even look like it' made from metal.  Don't know what it is.

You get what you pay for.