What Perles & Co does

Perles & Co is a French e-commerce retailer founded in 2004 and headquartered in Albi, France, specializing in beads, jewelry components, and DIY craft supplies. The company operates a direct-to-consumer online storefront serving individual hobbyists and professional jewelry makers across Europe, offering more than 70,000 product references spanning Swarovski, Preciosa, and Aurora crystals, its own PureCrystal branded line, natural stones, seed beads from Miyuki, Toho, and Matubo, findings and clasps, polymer clay, resin, fabrics, fine arts supplies, and finished DIY kits. Beyond the catalog, the company maintains an extensive educational platform of 2,500+ free tutorials and 500+ technical fact sheets, distributed across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and Facebook, with an email newsletter for repeat engagement.

The underlying technology is a standard e-commerce platform augmented by an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) material-analysis service used to verify the composition and authenticity of precious-metal components, and by a structured, SEO-oriented tutorial content library. Perles & Co monetizes through unit-priced online sales ranging from approximately €0.12 to over €232 per item, with volume discounts (typically 5–10% at 5+ or 10+ units), a professional/wholesale B2B pricing tier with bulk crystal packs of 288–1,440 pieces at factory pricing, free shipping on orders from €50 up to 1kg, and digital gift cards. Customer satisfaction is evidenced by a 4.96/5 Google rating across 902 reviews and customer relationships dating back to 2005.

Perles & Co is a privately held, founder-owned, bootstrapped company with no disclosed external funding, acquisitions, parent company, or leadership changes. Its competitive positioning rests on 20 years of operating history in the French market, official Swarovski distributor status, the proprietary PureCrystal private-label line, an unusually deep tutorial content asset, and the niche-specialist XRF authentication service. The business is currently operating with no public financial disclosure.

Name

Perles & Co

Legal name

Perles & Co

Website

https://perlesandco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Perles & Co is a French e-commerce retailer founded in 2004 that sells over 70,000 references of beads, jewelry components, and DIY craft supplies to hobbyists and professional jewelry makers across Europe, supported by 2,500+ free tutorials and an official Swarovski distributor partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Supplies Retail

NAICS

Sewing, Needlework, and Piece Goods Retailers (459130), Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (459420)

SIC

Costume Jewelry & Novelties (3960), Retail-Jewelry Stores (5944), Jewelry, Silverware & Plated Ware (3910)

akta.pro primary industry

Beading & Jewelry-Making Supplies Retail (CRALACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

DIY Craft Kits & Project Kits Retail (CRALACAH), Fine Jewelry Components (Chains, Settings, Findings) (CRAKAAAJ)

Keywords

• Jewelry making supplies
• Beads and components
• DIY craft materials
• Seed beads wholesale
• Crystal beads retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Albi

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Product Sales: Direct online sales of beads, jewelry components, crafting supplies, and accessories to DIY enthusiasts and professionals. Revenue generated through individual product purchases with volume discounts and bulk pricing options.
2. Bulk/Wholesale Crystal Sales: Wholesale bulk packaging of Swarovski crystals sold in large quantities (288-1440 pieces) targeting professional jewelry makers and resellers with dedicated bulk pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Perles & Co is an online retailer of beads, jewelry components, and DIY craft supplies, offering over 70,000 product references including Swarovski, PureCrystal, Preciosa, and Aurora crystals, natural stones, seed beads (Miyuki, Toho, Matubo), jewelry findings, polymer clay, resin, and accessories. The company supports both hobbyist and professional jewelry makers with free educational content (2,500+ tutorials, 500+ technical sheets) and XRF material authentication services.

Product overview

Perles & Co is a French online craft supplies retailer specializing in beads, jewelry components, and DIY creative materials, offering over 70,000 product references across a unified e-commerce platform. The product portfolio centers on jewelry making supplies (Swarovski Crystals, PureCrystal, Preciosa, Aurora Crystals, natural stones, rocailles/seed beads from Miyuki/Toho/Matubo) complemented by craft categories including polymer clay and modeling (Fimo, Sculpey), resin casting, yarn/knitting, fabrics/sewing, fine arts, children's crafts, and Deco/DIY. The platform also provides value-added services including DIY tutorials (2,500+ free tutorials), technical fact sheets (500+), and XRF material analysis. Finished jewelry DIY kits, jewelry findings/clasps, and general crafting accessories round out the offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Swarovski Crystals
• PureCrystal
• Aurora Crystals
• Preciosa Crystals
• DIY Jewelry Kits
• Beads & Components
• Jewelry Findings & Clasps
• Rocailles (Seed Beads)
• Natural Stones
• Wires, Cords & Ribbons
• Polymer Clay & Modeling
• Resin & Casting
• Yarn, Knitting & Crochet
• Fabrics & Sewing
• Accessories & Tools
• Deco & DIY
• Children's Crafts
• Fine Arts
• Books & Library
• Gift Cards
• XRF Analysis Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.96/5 Google rating based on 902 reviews - demonstrating high customer satisfaction
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SwarovskicoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial distributor partner of Swarovski crystals. Perles & Co is an official Swarovski partner, offering certified authentic Swarovski crystals including hearts, toupies, pear-shaped beads, pendants, and cabochons. The partnership includes access to exclusive crystal lines like Aurora and ensures product authenticity through official distribution channels.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Etsy: Global marketplace for handmade and craft supplies including beads and jewelry components — competes indirectly for both hobbyist buyers and small-scale jewelry-maker sellers, with vastly larger scale and global reach.
• Hobbycraft: UK's largest specialist craft retailer with both online and physical stores covering beads, jewelry making, fabrics, and DIY — comparable on assortment breadth and DIY hobbyist customer, but operates at far larger scale and through physical retail.
• Michaels Companies: North America's largest specialty arts, crafts, and DIY retailer with stores and e-commerce — overlaps on beads, jewelry-making kits, and craft supplies, but serves a much broader category set and customer base.
• Amazon Handmade: Amazon's curated marketplace for handmade goods and craft supplies — competes for hobbyist mindshare and pricing benchmark, with significantly greater scale, logistics, and convenience than specialty bead retailers.

Others

• Swarovski: Premium crystal manufacturer and supplier — Perles & Co's most important upstream partner and the brand whose authorized distribution differentiates its assortment; competes only indirectly through direct Swarovski retail channels.
• Miyuki: Japanese seed bead manufacturer whose products (Miyuki Delica) are core to Perles & Co's bead-weaving assortment — a key supplier rather than direct competitor, but shapes the competitive landscape of professional-grade rocailles.

Direct peers

• Beadaholique: Online retailer specializing in beads, crystals, findings, and jewelry-making supplies with tutorial content — directly comparable on assortment, DIY education strategy, and target hobbyist/professional segments.
• Fire Mountain Gems: U.S.-based direct competitor selling beads, jewelry findings, Swarovski crystals, and DIY jewelry-making supplies online with bulk/wholesale tiers — directly overlapping on product assortment, target customer (hobbyists and professionals), and business model.
• Beads Direct: UK-based online bead and jewelry-making supplies retailer selling crystals, seed beads, findings, and DIY kits — directly comparable as a regional European specialist with similar assortment and professional/hobbyist split.
• Artbeads: Online bead and jewelry-making supplies retailer with a broad catalog including Swarovski and base-metal components, free project tutorials, and tiered pricing — overlapping with Perles & Co on assortment, content marketing, and customer segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/perlesandcoTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/perles.co
• Instagraminstagram.com/perlesandco
• TikToktiktok.com/@perlesandco
• Pinterestpinterest.com/perlesandco
• Xx.com/perlesandco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Perles & Co