Well firstly,  Glass is glass and you need to take care of it.  A bead that in not kiln annealed will break as apposed to one that is annealed, which is much less likely if ever to break.

 Most of the imported mass produced glass beads are NOT annealed, which makes their strength questionable.  Those who use such beads in their jewellery should be aware that they will likely break as they are just not made to last.. As a jewellery designer, you cannot guarantee the durability of any jewellery made with imported mass produced un-annealed beads. Sorry but these are the facts!!!

When buying glass beads, one important feature handmade glass art beads typically have that craft store beads don't have is artists will kiln anneal their glass beads.

This is very important because it strengthens glass by allowing the glass to cool very slowly over hours and hours, bringing the molecules in the glass to a stable state.  I have a digital controller attached to my kiln which acts as a baby sitter, for this very important function. As the hours pass it controls and regulates the temperature through the cooling process degree by degree. It relieves any stress in the glass, ensures their durability and beads won't crack.

When you walk in a store or receive beads from a seller, take a look at the strands.

You are most likely to see one or more on that stand that has a crack along the bead hole.
This means the glass cooled too quickly which means it was not placed in a heated kiln to allow it soaking time and then annealing.

I read that a properly annealed glass bead vs a non annealed bead will bounce rather than break when dropped on the floor?

 I make jewellery not only using my hands but by putting a piece of me into the whole process. Each piece I make has a specific purpose, with depth and substance. That is why I started making

my own beads. Because I wanted the utmost guarantee that my efforts will not be in vain.

I hope you found this information informative and useful.
Let me know if you would like some information added to it or if you have a query based on my opinion.
xx Lorraine