A Brief About Seed Beads

Seed Beads

Beads are products that are used for jewelry making purposes. Beads ideally have a hole on either ends. Beads are found in many sizes, shapes, designs and types. They are commonly made of plastic, glass, fibre etc measuring from under a millimetre to several millimetres. Seed bead is also one such type of beads. It is a term used mainly to describe a small glass bead. They are used in strings or used as spacers between beads. They usually have tiny or small hole in the centre. The type of needle used for beading them is a specialized needle. It is known as beading needle and mostly long and narrow in shape. These beads are generally used between other beads and therefore add to the decorative value of the entire creation. They are also sometimes used in knitting.

Seed beads are classified due to their shape and size. They also come in different colors. They can be transparent, opaque, translucent, or matte. They can also be made from linings of different metals for example copper-lined, silver-lined, bronze-lined beads etc. They also come with a pearl like transparent effect. Sometimes a rainbow effect is given on the surface of the seed bead. Such beads are called AB or aurora borealis. As previously stated they come in unique coatings and finishes in a variety of colours. Hence, they can be used in a variety of designs. However, the coating can be affected due to exposure to sunlight and normal wear

Seed beads are classified according to the number that corresponds to their size. These are mostly found as 6/0, 8/0, 11/0, 12/0, 13/0 and 15/0. This 0 which is used in the measurement is called aught and is shown with a slash and a zero or a degree mark. The different types of seed bead are as follows:

Fringe seed beads: They derive their name from their shape which is teardrop shaped.

Bugle beads: These are long beads and tubular in structure. They can be twisted and are ½” to 2” in shape.

Two cut seed beads: They are hexagonal in shape viz six sided and hence called as two cut.

Round seed beads: As the name suggests these are mostly round in shape with holes on either side.

There are also other types of seed beads like magatama beads from Japan, cube beads, pony beads, rocaille etc.

Seed beads are measured and sold in hanks or in grams. A hank generically has 12-14 strands of beads, and is 14-19 inches in length. They are packaged in bags, strands or tubes. The way in which seed beads are sold vary. For example Japanese beads are sold by weight in grams. Largely, the total number of beads that are present in a hank or a tube differ. This difference is dependent on the size of the bead, the type of glass that is used to manufacture the bead and the overall finish of the bead. They can be bought in the online market in wholesale prices.