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A bead is a small,
decorative object that is pierced for threading or
stringing. Beads range in size from under a millimeter
to over a centimeter or sometimes several centimeters in
diameter. Glass, plastic, and stone are probably the
most common materials, but beads are also made from
bone, horn, ivory, metal, shell, pearl, coral,
gemstones, polymer clay, metal clay, resin, synthetic
minerals, wood, ceramic, fiber, paper, and seeds. Beads
can be woven together with specialized thread, strung
onto thread or wire, or adhered to a surface (e.g.
fabric, clay). Generally, beadwork can be defined
as a way to create an item for the purpose of
embellishment. |
BASIC STITCHES
Peyote Stitch (Also Known As: Gourd Stitch, 2-Drop,
Graph Stitch) - The name itself is based in
Native American beading as the NA used a similar stitch
(called Comanche Stitch) to create items used in
worship in the Native American Church. Peyote
Stitch is used to make a "fabric" of beads by
weaving them together in hand (no loom is used) in an
offset row method. When completed, no thread shows
between the bead or row, thus creating an erstwhile
"fabric" of beads. Thread is visible along the edge of
the work, however. The bead holes are lined up
end-to-end in this stitch. Peyote Stitch can be
worked with two beads at a time in each stitch, This is
called "Two Drop Peyote Stitch."
Brick stitch - The bead holes are lined up end-up |
WHAT IS A DELICA BEAD?
Delica beads are cylindrical in shape and have very thin
walls, as opposed to the rounder, thick-walled seed
bead. They line up perfectly in loom and in off-loom
stitches such as Brick or Peyote, with the thin walls
and large holes allowing for multiple thread passes
through each bead. Delicas give curved stitches such as
a Spiral or Rosette a more angular shape and lend good
definition to Herringbone weave projects. |
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WHAT IS A NOODLE?
Noodles are usually metal, cylindrical in shape,
with a gentle curve. Commonly used to 'shape' a
necklace |
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Want more information?
Here's a nifty site for everyone:
www.beadwork.about.com
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Sizes |
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SEED BEAD SIZING
Aught Size mm dia beads/inch
6/0 3.3 10
8/0 2.5 13
9/0 2.2 15
10/0 2.0 16
11/0 1.8 20
13/0 1.5 27
14/0 1.4 24
15/0 1.3 25
delica 1.8 20 SEED BEAD SIZING - Seed beads are
sized in aughts, which are different than millimeters. The larger the number, the smaller the bead
(20 is small, 3 is large). |
REGULAR BEAD SIZING
Size Per Inch 7" 16" 24" 32" 36"
3mm 8.25 57 132 200 265 288
4mm 6.25 43 100 150 200 225
5mm 5.00 35 82 124 160 180
6mm 4.25 28 67 100 132 153
7mm 3.50 24 57 85 114 126
8mm 3.25 22 50 75 100 112
10mm 2.50 18 40 60 80 90
12mm 2.00 15 33 50 66 72
14mm 1.75 13 29 43 56 63
16mm 1.50 11 25 38 50 54
18mm 1.25 10 23 34 45 50
20mm 1.20 8 20 29 38 43 |
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Wire & Cord |
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WIRE SIZING
B&S Gauge Decimal Millimeter
12 .0811 2.06
14 .0630 1.60
16 .0512 1.30
18 .0394 1.00
20 .0323 .82
22 .0252 .64
24 .0197 .50
26 .0157 .40
28 .0118 .30 |
26g - extra fine - for very small and delicate projects
24g - fine - for pearls & most gemstones - easy to work
with
22g - medium - for glass beads, fits
some pearls and gemstones
20g - medium heavy - great for earwires, clasps or
larger beads
18g - heavy - often good for chainmaille or a heavier look
16g - heavy - often used as a base to wrap finer wires
around
14g - heavy - often used as a base to wrap finer wire
around
12g - very heavy - hard to work with, good for rings and
buckles
The most commonly used sizes for wire wrapping are 20g to
24g. |
THREAD, CORD AND WIRE
- Using light colors
against a dark bead will lighten that bead color... Dark
color cord will darken a light bead. Example: White cord
with Garnet bead will add to the luminosity of the bead.
Silk Bead Cord - is
used for beads with smaller holes such as freshwater
pearls and beads under 5mm. You can add a
designer look
by placing knots on either side of the pearl. Wide
spectrum of colors.
Nylon Bead Cord - is
used as an all purpose bead cord. You can use Beeswax to
coat the cord to keep it from fraying and
tangling when
it is repeatedly threaded through metal beads with sharp
edges. Wide spectrum of colors.
Tiger Tail - is a
commonly used stringing material, and does not require a
needle.
Beadalon - Beadalon
wire remains soft and pliable, even when using the
smaller beads. Beadalon is a multi-strand braided
stainless steel wire with a nylon coating.
C-Thru Translucent Cord -
is perfect for stringing Austrian Crystals, or any light
colored bead when you don't want the
cord to be visible.
Stretch Magic - is a
flexible clear elastic cord. It is often used for
slip-on crystal bracelets, and is a beader's favorite as
it
only requires a knot to finish.
Memory Wire - is a
pre-coiled stainless steel wire that retains it shape.
Very popular for wine charm markers and
bracelets.
Rattail - is a
round, satin-like cord, often used to show off one large
pendant or centerpiece.
Leather Cord - is
always a popular stringing material as there is no
finishing required. Simply add a pendant or
centerpiece,
tie a bow and go. |
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Types & Finish |
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IRIDESCENT -
Producing a display of lustrous, rainbow like
colors
LINED- color lined, gold lined. gilt lined (fake
gold or silver), silver lined, inside color -
All pertain to the needle hole
treatment, these
treatments may slowly wear off from the thread movement.
LUSTER -
Soft reflected light; sheen
MATTE -
not glossy
METALLIC -
imitate metals
reflectivity
OPAL -
iridescence
OPAQUE -
difficult to see through
PAINTED or
DYED - wood
treatments & some reference dyed with certain
glass beads
SATIN -
a
glossy, satin-like surface
SILKY -
has a
smooth, silk-like surface
TORTOISE SHELL
- fake tortoiseshell, real has been outlawed -
tones of brown, amber & black
TRANSLUCENT -
allow light to pass through them only diffusely:
they cannot be seen through.
TRANSPARENT -
allowing light to pass through
WHITEHEARTS -
old process, rare,
white glass lined - rich colors |
PLATING -
STANDARDS & ABBREVIATIONS
SC - Silver Color Metal
GC - Gold Color Metal
SP - Silver Plated Finish - over a base metal
for a Sterling Silver appearance.
GP - Gold Plated Finish - over a base metal for
a 14K Gold appearance.
SS - Sterling Silver - .925 actual silver
content.
GF - Gold Filled - a layer of 12K or 14K Gold,
milled to a base metal for a long lasting gold
appearance.
14K - .585 actual gold content.
18K - .750 actual gold content. |
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Special Beads |
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CHEVRON BEADS are special glass
beads, originally made for the slave trade in Africa by
glassmakers in Italy. They are composed of many consecutive
layers of colored glass. The initial core is formed in a
star-shaped mold, and can have anywhere between five and fifteen
points. The next layer of glass conforms to that star shape.
Several layers of glass can be applied, either star-shaped or
smooth. After all layers have been applied, the glass is drawn
out to the desired thickness and when cooled, cut into short
segments showing the resulting star pattern at their ends. The
ends can be ground to display the chevron pattern. Chevron beads
are traditionally composed of red, blue, and white layers, but
modern chevrons can be found in any color combination. |
| CLOISONNÉ BEADS -
First, the artist forms
metal (such as copper, bronze, or silver) into the shape
of the finished object. Cloisonné wire, which is
pure silver wire usually about .010 x .040 inches in
cross section, is bent into shapes that define the
colored areas. The bends are all done at right angles,
so that wire does not curve up. This done with small
pliers, tweezers, and custom made jigs. The cloisonné
wire pattern may consist of several intricately
constructed wire patterns that fit together into a
larger design. Solder can be used to join the wires, but
it causes the enamel to discolor and form bubbles later
on. Instead the base metal is fired with a thin layer of
clear enamel. The cloisonné wire is glued to the enamel
surface with gum Tragacanth. When the gum Tragacanth has
dried the piece is fired again to fuse the cloisonné
wire to the clear enamel. The gum Tragacanth burns off
leaving no residue. Then the crushed glass powder
(frit) is added. After the frit has dried, firing
in an oven melts it onto the metal. Several repetitions
of the process may ensue to build up the coatings to the
height of the partitions. Various colors and
transparencies may be used in combination within a
single partition to obtain the desired artistic effect.
The exposed metal is electroplated with a thin film of
gold to prevent corrosion and to give a pleasing
appearance. |
| DICHROIC GLASS BEADS
- used to produce high-end art beads.
Dichroic glass has a thin film of metal fused to the
surface of the glass, resulting in a surface that has a
metallic sheen that changes between two colors when
viewed at different angles. Beads can be pressed, or
made with traditional lampworking techniques. The metal
coating used was originally developed by NASA for the
space program. |
| ETHNIC BEADS -
Other beads considered
trade beads are those made in West Africa, by and for
Africans, such as Mauritanian Kiffa beads, and Ghanaian
and Nigerian powder glass beads . Other ethnic beads
include Tibetan Dzi beads and African-made brass beads.
Rudraksha beads are seeds that are customary in India
for making Buddhist and Hindu rosaries (malas). Magatama
are traditional Japanese beads, and cinnabar was often
used for beads in China. |
FAUX NATURAL BEADS
- Often beads are made to
look like a more expensive original material, especially
in the case of fake pearls, tortoise shell and simulated rocks,
minerals, and gemstones. Precious metals and ivory are
also imitated.
Tagua nuts from South American are used as an ivory
substitute since the natural ivory trade has been
restricted worldwide. |
| FIRE-POLISHED BEADS
are faceted glass beads
made in the Czech Republic. They are faceted by machine
and then drawn through ovens to make the surfaces
molten, and thus shiny when the beads cool. This method
of "polishing" is faster and cheaper than buffing and
results in a reasonably attractive bead, though
generally less perfect than buffed beads. Czech
fire-polish beads are made in an area called Jablonec
nad Nisou. Production of glass beads in the area dates
back to the 14th century, though production was
depressed under communist rule. They commonly come in
sizes from 3 millimetres (0.12 in) to 22 millimetres
(0.87 in) |
| FUSED GLASS BEADS -
Fusing methods involve
stacking, or layering thin sheets of glass, often using
different colors to create patterns or simple images.
The stack is then placed inside the kiln (which is
almost always electric, but can be heated by gas or
wood) and then heated through a series of ramps (rapid
heating cycles) and soaks (holding the temperature at a
specific point) until the separate pieces begin to bond
together. The longer the kiln is held at the maximum
temperature the more thoroughly the stack will fuse,
eventually softening and rounding the edges of the
original shape. Once the desired effect has been
achieved at the maximum desired temperature, the kiln
temperature will be brought down to avoid
devitrification. It is then allowed to cool slowly over
a specified time, soaking at specified temperature
ranges which are essential to the annealing process.
This prevents uneven cooling and breakage and produces a
strong finished product. |
| LAMPWORK BEADS
are made by using a torch
to heat a rod of glass and spinning the resulting thread
around a metal rod covered in bead release. When the
base bead has been formed, other colors of glass can be
added to the surface to create many designs. |
LEAD CRYSTAL BEADS
(also known as machine cut crystal) are cut crystal
beads made with hi-tech precise machinery. Thanks to
this state of the art machine cut processing the crystal
items achieve outstanding geometry and excellent optical
parameters. Many lead crystal beads are enhanced with
surface coatings. Aurora Borealis, or AB, is a very
common surface coating that diffuses light into a
rainbow. Other common surface coatings are vitrail,
moonlight, dorado, satin, star shine, heliotrope.
Swarovski along with Preciosa branded crystal beads are
prized by jewelers and hobbyists. They are a high-lead
content crystal although today production of lead-free
crystal is common. Lead crystals have an incredible
sparkle and clarity, and are often multi-faceted to
resemble gemstones. Styles and colors go in and out of
production, so vintage cuts and colors are often prized
with a similarly associated price tag. Swarovski along
with Preciosa bicones are the most popular crystal beads
in sizes 4 mm and 6 mm. Other Czech companies such as
PAS Jablonec make similar styles of crystal beads. |
| MILLEFIORI BEADS -
The millefiori technique involves the production of
glass canes or rods, known as murrine, with multicolored
patterns which are viewable only from the cut ends of
the cane. Millefiori beads are made of plain wound glass
bead cores and thin slices of cut cane (murrine) which
are being pressed into the bead surface, forming
mosaic-like patterns, while the glass is still hot.
Another name for Millefiori bead is mosaic bead. |
| PRESSED GLASS BEADS
are formed by pressing the hot glass into mold to give
the bead its shape. Often pressed beads are made using
machines that stamp the shape from the molten glass. The
shapes can have holes punched in virtually any
direction. The Czech Republic is the primary producer of
pressed beads, although India and China also produce
significant amounts. |
| SEED BEADS
are uniformly shaped spheroidal or tube shaped beads
ranging in size from under a millimetre to several
millimetres. "Seed Bead" is a generic term for any small
bead. Usually rounded in shape, seed beads are most
commonly used for loom and off-loom bead weaving. |
| TRADE BEADS OR SLAVE
BEADS are various types of
beads made in Europe specifically to be used in the
slave trade and other trading in Africa. Chevron beads
are a specific, historically important type of trade
bead. |
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Hours:
Mon-Sat: 10am to 8pm - Sun: 1pm to 7pm
Winters: Tues - Saturday 11am to 6pm
213 6th Ave - Seward, Alaska
Telephone: 907 422-2933
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