Glass beads are jewelry components that have been with us for hundreds of years and still are very popular. These are beautiful artwork pieces that are great choices for crafting projects, whether by an expert or a beginner in beading.
When the first ancestor decided to adorn himself or herself with the bones of a kill, the incomparable world of jewelry making had dawned. Millenniums later the art has changed. The designing, crafting, material used and the global demand for that material has evolved. It now includes a vast variety of items used for crafting jewelry. This material ranges from beads to metal, from acrylic to crystals and from ethnic material like seeds, bones to even wood and clay. Glass beads are one of the many popular materials used by jewelry makers.
Beads have been always used for crafting ornaments. These can be carved from different materials but glass had always held and still holds prime place in making jewelry. Beads made of glass are available in a variety of colours, sizes and the threading hole for making use of the different sizes.
The processing of Beads
Glass beads were once made by skilled glass-craftsmen. It involved melting the glass and using the same to create different types and sizes of beads. It made the bead making a speciality. The rising demand has brought mechanisation of the industry all over the world today. It is increasingly being crafted through machines using the complicated processes that were used by the craftsmen of the past.
It is still a labour intensive industry. That is why the areas famous for making glass beads are those that can supply skilled but cheaper labour. It is the process used to handle the glass that differentiates between one and the other type of glass beads.
Wounding the Glass
A Steel rod or wire coated with clay is used in this method. The molten glass is wound around the clay coated wire. The coating helps in the removal of beads after the glass has cooled down. It is during the winding process that etching; colouring and stringing etc. is completed.
Furnace type is a variant of the wounding process. It involves the use of a gas torch to heat the glass and prepare the base before the other molten glass material is introduced. This second coat has colours also.
Molded glass
The molded process is a specialized method. This needs cheap labour to man various sections of the process. The glass is melted to a liquid form and poured into a special container called stamper. This stamper holds the needles of different sizes to make a hole in the glass. Once the job at the stamper station is completed the beads begin to come out. These are now rolled over in sand to smoothen the rough edges. The same has been made popular by Czechoslovakian artisans.
Drawn glass process
This is called Indo-Pacific type also. Such types of beads have been discovered at various archaeological sites from Arekamedu to Zimbabwe. This is again a variant of the molten glass which is passed through a chamber called puntile. A bubble is created here in the centre. Another puntile keeps drawing the glass. This drawn length may run into hundreds of feet. Beads are cut from this tube.
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Seed Beads Have A Variety Of Uses
Even though seed beads are generally round in shape, the most common shapes are donut shaped beads and tubular shaped beads called bugle beads. Cube shaped beads and hexagon cut beads are not uncommon. Beads in the shape of triangle and square can also be found. Twin beads with two holes are also useful in making some antique jewelry. Teardrop shaped beads can be used in jewelry according to your imagination. As with size, you can create unique patterns in jewelry with the right shapes for your project
A Brief Understanding On Wooden Beads
Beautiful pieces of jewelry can be created using many different types of beads such as glass, precious stones, metal alloys, pearls, and beads made of natural materials such as shells, bones, and woods. Wooden beads are among the most popular beads in the market today because of their being classy, light, affordable, beautiful, and easily available.
