Enhance The Look Of Your Jewelry With Glass Beads

Beads are an indispensible item for jewelry making. They can be used in necklaces, for making ear-rings or bracelet. Beads can be used in so many ways. Beads add so much imagination and creativity in the whole jewelry making process. There are many different types of beads available in the market. There are beads used for different purposes with different kinds of texture and use. There are wooden beads, seed beads etc. Glass beads are also a type of bead used for jewelry making. They are found in many shapes, sizes and colours. One of the important features of glass beads is that they are very commonly and easily found. Also glass beads are one of the most common types of beads. They are very extensively used not only in jewelry making, but also for arts and crafts.

When choosing to buy a glass bead it is very important to remember the following guidelines:

1. When choosing a glass bead the foremost factors to consider are their size and colour. Since they are found in several shapes and colours the choice should match your project. The weight of the glass bead should also correspond to the type of your project.
2. When buying glass bead, you will have to ensure that the beads are properly heated and then cooled in a kiln. This process is called annealment. An annealed bead becomes durable. If the glass bead is not annealed, then the bead can break easily, even if it appears strong.

There are many types of glass beads. Let us consider the various types of glass beads. They are as follows:

Lampwork glass beads: These are one of the most popular types of glass beads. They are quite unique because they are handcrafted. They are made with the aid of a flame or a lamp. They have intricate paintings or designs on them. Further, sometimes lines or small designs are added to it. These are later annealed to make them strong.

Crystal glass beads: As the name suggests these beads have sparkle and shine in them. The shine appears in the bead due to the presence of lead in them. This lead reflects light, thus making them sparkly. One such type of glass bead is the Swarovski crystal bead. They are comparatively expensive than other types of beads and extensively used in jewelry creation.

Millefiori glass beads: These beads are made by blending many layers of multi-coloured glass together. At the end of this process, designs are added to it. Later cross sections are cut through it, thus creating three dimensional patterns of many different colours. Their name literally means thousand flowers in Italian language.

There are other types of glass beads too. They are cat eye beads, crackle glass beads, electroplate glass beads, frosted glass beads, pearl glass beads, painted glass beads, speciality glass beads etc.

As seen above there are variety and forms of glass beads. They perfectly blend in any type of art and craft work. The possibility of their use in jewelry making is therefore endless.