Toho beads and me

If you ask me which my favourite Japanese bead manufacturer is, I'd say Miyuki. They have some exciting and unusual bead shapes like long magatamas and tila beads. And Miyuki was the first quality seed bead brand I got as a newbie.

But then again, the other big Japanese brand, Toho, have some really pretty beads too: copper-lined seeds like those in the pic, marbled finishes -- and charlottes. I love charlottes. Not to mention that Toho beads are used in the lovely SuperNova Hybrids. So while I call myself a Miyuki fan, it doesn't mean I don't drool over Toho beads. Or Preciosa Ornela (previously Jablonex) for that matter. My seed bead "trinity".

But there's a special reason I mention Toho: I recently found out that Toho and I have something in common. According to their website, we share birthday! November 3rd. (For anyone wondering how old I am: Toho is exactly 30 years older than me.) Who would've known I had something like that in common with them?

Now for the big question: should I take this as a sign that I should buy some Toho beads for the birthday money I hope to get soon? There are some Toho Hybrids I wouldn't mind getting an excuse for buying... And I've never seen the gilded marbled beads IRL -- have to do something about that, don't I?