Intrinsic Trading

They have the best selection of gemstone beads in Austin and prices are pretty standard. They don’t really have a high-​end selection but they’re far superior to the other local shops.
They also have bargain bin tables with lots of magnesite/​howlite, glass & dyed stone, if that’s what you’re looking for.
Oh! And a nice selection of stone pendants.

Crystal strands for $ 1? C’mon, you can dig in a pile for a deal like that. And if you need multiple strands, they are easy to find. It’s not a mismatched pile of cast-​offs. These run $ 8 at the craft store! I love this place. Put some tunes on your earbuds and browse till your heart is content. They have a GIANT collection of natural stone EVERYTHING. Some really unique things. They also have BIG bags of silver colored and gold colored clasps, beads, charms for $ 4/​bag! I’m telling you, it’s worth the dig. You’ll find inspiration! Go! Check it out!

This place is definitely for the serious beader. If you want freshwater pearls, agate, jasper, rhodochrosite, jade, hematite, aquamarine, tourmaline, mookaite, etc, you will find it here. You will also find glass, plastic, and other beads and supplies. They also have a large selection of pendant pieces.
The problem will be trying to control yourself and stay within budget.
They have inexpensive to expensive freshwater pearls in many shapes, sizes and colors.
Most of their gemstones are very nice and the prices are very reasonable.
They sell by the strand and not individual beads. I will often check their prices with other places on my phone when I am in there and they usually have a better price or the same as I would find mail order.
They also have the cheaper items by the door, so if you are looking for nicer, more expensive items, you have to go further into the store.
They have a table piled up with bags of silver plated findings and each bag is $ 4. If you can deal with the disorganization of the silver plated findings table, you will find some great deals.
You will need quite a bit of time to get through everything in this store. It isn’t a place to go if you are in a hurry.
The staff always answer questions if you approach them, but they will not approach you while you are shopping. They will leave you be to ponder and search for your treasures. When you are ready to check out, you just let them know. They are usually working on restringing or restocking.
This store is nothing like a typical bead store or hobby store.
This store is more like a bead show or a wholesale store.

This is the worst place to buy beads. Everything is piled up and completely unorganized and the staff is impossible to communicate with. A very bizarre experience.

This place is dangerous for the beading junkie. Tables upon tables of beads, ranging from acrylic to semi precious and precious gems. Oh, be still my beating heart! Don’t come in here unless you have:
A. willpower
B. a very set budget and
C. time.
It takes a while to paw through the giant tables piled high with baggies of random beads, and then even longer to pare down your haul to stay within budget! :P
The owners (?) have never offered to help me find anything the dozen or so times I’ve been there, and it does take a bit of time to get their attention to check out, otherwise I’d give this a ⁵⁄₅.

I really like this bead shop. It has several tables just piled high with beads. You can find something in every price range. I keep going back. My only suggestion is for this place to organize their «baggy» table. I think they’d sell more if their items on the bagged table had some sort of order.

Last time I was there I was told you need to have a business account with them, you need to show a biz ID number. Great place… too bad their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.

This is not a bead store… note…this is not a bead store… even though it really is a bead store.
This place is for the serious beader. There are no individual beads in little jars to purchase for a specific purpose. There are strands and strands and strands of beads… ranging from cheap Chinese crystal/​glass to hundreds of dollars for gemstones and pearls. This store has the most exquisite selection of pearls I’ve ever seen in one bead store… this really is a warehouse… not a bead store.
Like I said, this store is for the serious beader… don’t expect to come out of this place spending a little bit of money — this is some serious stuff… not for the timid… although if you want cheap Chinese crystal and some cheap magnesite strands… this is your place, too.
Get me out of here… it’s dangerous! :)