I was on a mission to find New Mexican-made sterling silver beads for a friend. Glorianna's was my first stop in Santa Fe and I'm glad of it. As other reviewers have said, it's a small shop packed to the gills with beads and related items. Much of the stock is indeed behind glass so you have to ask for assistance. That makes the store less fun for the casual browser or if you want to handle things before buying. However, I think all the glass cases are understandable as much of their stock is vintage and/or valuable. The one staff person there was able to help me find what I wanted, even showing me a couple of different options. I bought a number of beads and went away happy. read more

I love this place!!! Star is the best and has been very helpful. She has gone as far to mail my beads etc... when I couldn't make it to Santa Fe. Beware..... so many choices!!! read more

Terrible experience at the store. I would never dare step foot in this place again after how rude the woman was to me today (July 3 2023). Considering we are in a recession, and I was considering purchasing several items. Dont know if it was my appearance since i was a male wearing a bright pink shirt or if it was when my husband entered to borrow my phone from me. All i know was she was very off put and then she only got worse after that. Im not saying she was anti gay but it sure felt like it. Buyer beware And avoid ungrateful business owners read more

Glorianna's Beads - AVOID!!!!! - Gemstones & Minerals Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

Wonderful store!! Went in today to check out beads while I was in Santa Fe with family. First off, the bead selection was amazing. This store has a variety of all bead types! On top of the wonderful beads, the woman (who I assume was the owner due to her great knowledge of beads in the shop) was super helpful and happily answered all the questions I had. I wish I could go back and buy so many more beads!! Will definitely be stopping by again next time I am in Santa Fe. read more

Love this store and the owner is a gem herself. Very patient and helpful. Huge selection. Beautiful and unusual style of beads. You will definitely find plenty you can't do without. read more

Legendary bead store with amazing gemstones, vintage glass, African beads and more. A wonderland for professional artisans and tourists...

Fantastic as always. Amazing inventory and Star always has good suggestions and incredible knowledge about everything available. Always a treat to visit. read more

These people know theIr beads, no question about it. The merch is top quality, with a lovely selection of rare and collectible beads. Nothing is readily available to see. Everything is behind the counter, and while I understand the need for protection against theft, I have never felt comfortable asking to view items. Comparison between, and among, pieces is virtually impossible. The behavior of the owner and her staff (which I believe is her daughter) is unsettling in their suspicions. I have been made to feel foolish, rushed and inferior somehow in trying to do business there. So I just don't go in anymore. It's a shame, really. They have a lot of beautiful and interesting beads read more

Booooooo. What a horrible experience. I walked in to Glorianna's, excited to shop for some great beads to take back home. When I entered the shop I was overwhelmed by the size of the space (tiny), the amount of beads (overload) and the prices (yikes!). I felt like those kids in Japan who had seizures after watching too much anime. To top it all off, the owners (or owner and worker) were hideously rude, snobby and acted like I was bothering them. Hello ladies - go on and check that attitude at the door, mm-kay? I did go ahead and (begrudgingly) buy some shell birds because those are really hard to find. I won't ever, EVER go back to this shop again, no matter how desperate I am for birdy beads. read more

I'm surprised by the negative reviews....I popped in to browse while on vacation and the two ladies were great. the owner & her daughter really knew thier stuff. they both had strong opinions about quality, but anyone else who had been in the business for 45 years would too. almost all of their merch is directly sourced (without a wholesale middle-man) so they can be sure about stone & drilling quality. this makes their prices reasonable, considering what you're getting. if you're looking for cheap stuff from china or dyed turquoise, this is not the place for you. true, the space is tiny and the inventory is large, but where's your sense of adventure. there are definitely some hidden gems waiting to be found in this shop....pardon the pun read more

I'm originally from NM and now live across the country, but I've been stopping by Glorianna's to shop every time I make it to NM, at least once a year if not more, and I always find some beautiful treasures. The staff has never been particularly friendly, but yesterday was the worst. I asked for some specific types of beads and instead of being helpful they were rather snotty about it. They didn't have what I asked about, nor did they attempt to offer any other similar options. They do have a lot of beautiful things, including vintage items, but they are all under glass behind the counters, so you need to wait for their assistance to see anything. I took a while before anyone would help me. I asked to see two little containers that had two types of vintage glass pendants, both in yellow and with a similar cut, but one just top drilled and a larger one that was center drilled all the way through. I specifically told her I wanted to see the two styles to compare them. She only took out one of the containers to let me see the items. I told her I wanted to compare the two and she told me I could only see one item at a time. These were not diamonds - they were $3.50 apiece. Sure - a lot for a tiny pendant, but they were vintage, unique and lovely. But I don't expect to be treated like a suspected thief while I'm shopping. She took out one single pendant from the original container and put the rest all back in the box and set them aside before she would take out one single pendant from the other box. These were glass spikes that I wanted to make earrings from, and they all had little variations, as they were likely originally hand cut/faceted, so only being able to see one piece at a time did not help. I decided which of the two styles I wanted and picked a few sets of pairs. As soon as I had picked the ones I wanted - I was told in a rather rude tone "YOU picked them. They're YOURS!" I was visibly taken aback by her comment and tone and she aid something about people complaining when the staff picked out the pendants and they didn't match. I thought it was incredibly unnecessary of her to say. Of course I wouldn't blame them for picking mismatched pendants when I picked them myself. I was there to shop for supplies for a wholesale jewelry order of 560 necklaces and earrings, but I left with just those pendants. It was so unpleasant that I didn't even want to ask to see anything else. After years of shopping there, that was likely the last time. read more

The place is geared more to actually buying beads than lots of other places which focus more on displaying them. To that end this is actually one of the LEAST expensive bead stores I've seen in downtown Santa Fe, though it is still more expensive than any normal bead store. It is also one of the most cramped and poorly organized bead stores in Santa Fe...shopping here is not a pleasure. And this is intensified by the two rude women who work there. But the rude coin has two sides: at other bead stores the sales people are really pushy "you can do this and that and isn't this great..." and here they leave you alone and/or don't pressure you to buy. A string of beads that I bought around the corner (at Precious Collection) for $24 was available here for $8, so that might make up the difference depending on your preferences. read more

The owner was super sweet and helpful. Not sure what anyone would be thinking otherwise! I am not really a beater but was inspired and ended up with some fabulous beads. The owner was kind and helpful. I know they will be moving their location but worth finding them!! Also, she had very old antique beads her mother collected decades ago. You might be searching for something unique! read more

I'm surprised by the low score of this place. The staff is friendly and not pushy, unlike a lot of places. They have stuff that no other place carries. The staff also know a ton. And they've put stock everywhere they can, making it a fun place just to go look at. read more

I have shopped at Glorianna's for over 10 years and never had a bad experience or been disappointed with any purchase. Glorianna's is a tiny store, and as a result the two ladies who work there can each only help one person at a time - so be prepared - have some patience and plenty of time when you walk in! The bead quality and selection is tremendous, and the ladies have more knowledge and experience with beads and jewelry making techniques than I have found anywhere else in the world. From the most basic to the most extravagant - you will find what you need at Glorianna's! read more

I went in to Glorianna's a couple of weeks ago for the first time in several years, and found Glorianna and her daughter (as it has always been in my memory - since middle school for me) behind the counter, ready to help and give advice. Glorianna helped me find exactly the right strand of amethyst and silver beads to go with other beads I'd collected for a necklace, and gave excellent advice on claps and wiring. It was a roundly wonderful experience and I know I will be visiting again whenever I'm lucky enough to find myself in Santa Fe. read more

Owner is incredibly knowledgeable and helpful!!! Always kind, she may appear to be a bit aloof but she's not. Have shopped in there numerous times. She's just quiet & soft spoken. She has many precious & semi-precious beads. Those aren't cheap but won't be anywhere if they aren't imitation. read more

I've never experienced anything other than courtesy and the best possible assistance from the women in this shop. Selection is vast and prices are fair. read more

This place is small, cluttered and cramped but the selection and prices are great! It is a very small store with a huge inventory. Starr and Glorianna are both very helpful, just ask and be patient. They are very thorough when helping a customer, so you may have to wait your turn. This is a stop I have to make every time I am in Santa Fe! If you are into beading, or want to get into it, you've gotta stop here. read more

I've been going here for 15 years. Yes, it is small. yes, it is not fancy. They have the most AMAZING beads. They have the knowledge to answer all your questions. The BEST selection of gemstones. It is a mother / daughter operation, and Mom is 85 and going strong. You have to wait to be helped, it is NOT self service. Worth the trip. read more

Shopping at Glorianna's Fine Crafts is like taking a trip around the world! Their selection of beads and crafting items is unsurpassed. Not only is the selection incredible, also the selection of size and design of beads of a certain stone makes creating amazing pieces of jewelry fun and limitless. Yes, the beads are located behind counters just as fine jewelry is at many stores. With the depletion of many fine stones, prices continue to rise and many beads are becoming very difficult to find, so I totally understand the way they handle product presentation. Gloriana's is a Santa Fe treasure! When people visit Santa Fe and feel it is unfair to wait in line for help, I simply do not understand. Santa Fe is "City Different." Gloriana's is a small store with limited staff which keeps prices down for all of us. When unfair reviews are posted from infrequent visitors it is destructive to our city. Thus, it hurts the locals. When we lose a business it most often is not replaced. As you can see from numerous reviews, we in Santa Fe love to have this amazing shop available to us. The owners are perhaps the most knowledgeable professionals, which saves me a great deal of time. Glorianna and Starr always assist with recommendations and I never feel it is based on selling the higher priced items. These ladies work extremely hard. On a personal note, I think that "the more you know," "the more you understand." Don't miss an opportunity to visit this store. read more

I almost skipped this store because of 2 bad reviews. Went in and spent 40 min. soaking up information about beads from all over the world from Gloriana, who has been in this business for over 40 years with her late husband and her daughter has worked there as long as she can remember. These ladies were intelligent and friendly to me and my patient husband. I bought $350. worth of beads unlike most I had seen on the east coast and the prices were better by far compared to another Santa Fe bead shop. I'll take the overstocked store with knowledgeable staff and good prices over a fancy store with temporary workers texting behind the counter and charging fancy prices any day! read more

The owners daughter Starr acted like it was beneath her to assist me. Too bad since I was so excited to go there and check it out. Will not be back. When asked if classes were available, Starr was very indignant. The owner Georgianna was quick to respond with a pleasant " No but we are always to help you through if you have a question". Business will go down fast when Georgianna no longer is can work. read more