Sunday, August 28, 2011

Discover About Small Seed Beads

By Siffion Quaid


Seed beads are tiny beads usually made from plastic, glass or metal, they can measure from one millimetre and are used for jewelry making, clothing adornment, household decoration to name some of their uses.

Who makes these beads?

The Czech Republic are the most prolific manufacturer, they create glass beads, firepolish beads and also crystal beads. Other areas that are known for making seed beads are Japan and France. The French normally make their beads from reused metals. India and China are quickly becoming as effective in large scale bead making as other places but take care, the quality is not as good.

What styles of Seed Beads are available?

Seed beads come in all types of textures and shapes. They can be transparent, translucent, opaque, coloured, lustered or matte finished for instance. Japanese beads are renowned for their cylinder shape which makes the bead not as round in shape but it has more area space for the design. Charlotte Cut beads have areas of the surface cut to make the bead more shiney, Charlotte Cut beads are also known as single faceted beads as well are 2 cut or 3 cut beads depending on how many surface cuts there are.

What size do Seed Beads go up to?

Seed beads come in varied sizes, commonly a size 11 bead is an inch in size, these sizes go from 5 to 24. A bead is measured before it is cut so if you've got a bead that has been presumed as an inch in size possibilities are it is somewhat less than an inch due to wastage from it being cut. Alas seed bead sizes are not accurate.

How are the quantities measured?

Seed beads are not measured by number of beads; the logistics of counting out hundreds or even thousands of beads makes it impossible to be accurate. Instead the beads are measured by weight or a hank. A hank is a bundle of beads made up usually of 12 strands if it's a size 11 beads as an example. Getting beads in a hank does work out far better for price than purchasing them loose. Czech beads are normally sold as a hank were as Japanese beads usually are not.




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