Beads & Jewelry Making

Types of Beads for Jewelry

Beading is one of the oldest types of jewelry making methods around today. Very popular and important to cultures and society’s such as the Native Americans, the Chinese and the Egyptians beading today still plays a very active role in the jewelry industry. There are many different types of beading methods and types of beads. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and are made from a variety of materials. The most popular types of beads are as follows:

Glass Beads – Glass beads are very common in jewelry making and come in several different types, sizes, and colors. For example Indian glass beads usually have colorful handmade designs made by lampwork artisans or hand-pressing techniques.

Crystal Beads – Crystal beads are also very common and are known for bringing glam and sparkle to pieces of jewelry. Beware when purchasing what you may think are crystal bead findings or they could be really glass for there are many imitations out there. Glass imitations are only slightly cheaper and do not give the same sparkle crystal does.

Stone Beads – This type of bead is machine cut or Hand Carved and made from stone such as jasper or semi-precious gems.

Seed Beads – Seed beads are typically simple in design, small in size and round in shape. They are made from an assortment of materials and come in many different colors.

Plastic Beads – These commercial beads are most often found in children’s jewelry or costume jewelry. Most children’s is beaded with plastic bead because they are less likely to be damaged or broken. These too come in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes.

Metal Beads – Metal beads are made from every type of metal from gold to non-precious metals such as brass.

All of these types of beads are readily available through craft stores or online jewelry supply outlets.

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Acrylic Nugget Faceted Beads Metallic Colors BDS1876

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