The stretching could be achieved on a small scale by one person working alone, or on a larger scale by two people moving quickly but steadily in opposite directions for up to a hundred feet or more! A section from an engraving showing glass being drawn. The drawn glass tube would then be cooled, rough cut into small bead pieces with a guillotine, before the pieces were placed in a hopper filled with a clay slurry mixture to smooth the beads through the abrasive action of tumbling.
They would then be cleaned and re-worked before being fired for smoothness and depth of colour. The peak of seed bead production in Murano was in the early s when these beads virtually sustained the Venetian glass industry, and you can read more on this subject in our History of Venetian Glass guide. Today seed bead manufacture is virtually non existent in Murano with production limited to a very few artisans.
It is said that the ability to manufacturer drawn beads was one of the most important developments in the history of beads. It was certainly the first time that beads could be produced en masse from tubes of glass, rather than the previous laborious practice of making individual beads. Further developments in the s saw the introduction of several new processes and machines which enabled glass works to add uniformity of colour and sizing.
Mass production was fully realised in the early 20th century with the arrival of a machine that could automatically draw the glass tubes achieving even greater consistency in size. Moving on to the present day, if you were to visit one of the modern seed bead manufacturers you would still get a sense of the historic processes involved in the production of seed beads.
That is once you had seen past the high tech computerised machinery and manufacturing infrastructure! You would basically be in the centre of a 24 hour operation, where molten glass is moved from automatic furnaces to a melting pot, where upon compressed air is used to force the glass through a shaped hole in the pots base thereby determining the outline of the glass column, whilst also turning the centre of the column into a hollow tube.
This cooling molten glass tube would then be moved across rollers and drawn out to the required cane thickness by machine, with the speed of draw determining the diameter of the glass tubes. The tubes would then be systematically cut into metre lengths. These tube lengths would then be cooled, quality controlled, and automatically cut into bead sized lengths. The resulting beads would then be reheated with carbon powder to provide smoothness, before before being washed and then reheated in a kiln to give a gloss finish.
Additional treatments, where required, would then be applied and heat re-applied to set the colours and coatings. The principle seed beads produced in Europe by Preciosa, and the Far East by Matsuno, Miyuki, and Toho are listed below, along with vintage bead shapes that are too labour intensive to produce today.
Continuous innovation and attempts to out do the competition means this is an ever changing area of bead manufacture with new shapes, shape refinements, and coatings or finishes released with increasing regularity.
Bugle Beads A long, thin, tubular shaped bead, either twisted or straight, which can be plain, two cut or hex cut. We have a separate article about Bugle Beads. Cylinder Beads Delica beads made by Mikuki, along with Treasures and Aiko made by Toho, are the highest quality seed beads in production today.
They are made using state of the art machinery to give totally consistent shape and size. They have oversized holes, thin walls and are light weight, giving a beautifully uniform and detailed tile like finish to bead weaving and bead embroidery designs.
Because of their lightness you also get more beads to the gram but their overall perfection means they are priced higher than comparably sized beads.
Toho have also introduced hex cut cylinder beads. Mill Hill is an American company supplying their own brand cylinder beads, but the beads are actually manufactured by Toho. Preciosa also produce a delica and unica tube bead Charlotte Beads Similar to a Rocaille but they have part of the surface of the bead ground or cut, to produce a facet for added shine. Charlotte is specifically a term for single faceted beads, but can also be used when 2 or 3 facets are added to the bead to add more sparkle.
Charlottes with 2 or 3 cuts to the surface are also known as two cut and three cut beads respectively. Corollo also come in twisted lengths Cube Beads Cube shaped beads come in three sizes. Those produced by Toho have the added benefit of a diamond shaped hole ensuring the beads sit correctly in a design Delica Beads See Cylinder beads Drop Beads These beads are drop shaped, come in four sizes, and have a hole in the centre of the bead.
They are also known as Fringe beads Farfalle Beads Double drop shaped beads named after the Italian word for butterfly, namely farfalla. Preciosa took the lead in their design and production with the Japanese introducing very similar bead designs, named as peanut and berry. Fringe Beads See Drop beads Hex Cut Beads or Hexagon Beads A six sided bead with regular facets Macco Beads A super thin walled bead with a short bugle bead like shape Macrame Beads Round beads specifically designed with larger holes to accommodate the thicker cords used in macrame Magatama Beads Drop beads but with an offset hole giving them the appearance of curved beads.
They are described by Toho as looking like a droplet of water. They are made by both Miyuki and Toho and are larger, wider and broader than standard drop beads. Longer Magatama beads resemble Czech glass dagger or spear beads save for the fact that the hole is cut on the slant so that the beads lean into each other in one direction when strung together Oblong Beads This shape seems to be unique to Preciosa and is basically an elongated slightly flattened square or cube bead with a central round hole.
They are also available with a bevelled hole edge Peanut Beads Originally introduced by Matsuno but now also part of the Toho range this bead is peanut shaped and looks like two drop beads combined together. The Miyuki Berry seed bead is also very similar in shape as well as the Czech Farfalle bead which preceded both designs! Rocaille Beads Pronounced roh kai these were historically round, silver-lined seed beads with square holes. Today the term simply refers to all round seed beads of the type that most people readily associate with seed beading.
These modern beads normally have round holes, but Toho have recently re-introduced Rocailles with square holes to provide greater accuracy when placing them in designs Spiral Beads A tubular bead which has been turned a stage further than a twist bead. Preciosa and Matsuno both manufacturer this shape of bead Square Beads Are square or cube shaped with a relatively large hole meaning they can fit on a narrow leather cord if required.
Preciosa squares have a diamond shaped hole for better placement. They also provide twisted squares Star Beads A Preciosa shape which is similar in appearance to the Corolla but has six rounded petals forming a star shape with a round central hole. They also come in twisted lengths Tila Beads A square flat bead with two holes running in parallel made by Miyuki Three Cut Beads These beads with three random cuts creating a lot of reflective surface sparkle but with quite an irregular look to them Triangle Beads Triangular shaped beads with triangular shaped holes ensuring the beads sit correctly in a design.
Hole size also means they can be used on leather cord. Miyuki have introduced a new variant of the Japanese triangle bead which has sharper more defined points. Regardless of country of manufacture seed beads do have a uniform guideline for sizing, though the origins of those guidelines have become clouded.
There are two schools of thought:. Both options are historically feasible but time has now made both options outdated. With seed bead production now a highly automated process the mandrel no longer has a place in the production process, and in terms of beads per inch this may well have held true when beads were hand-cut and an average was used.
Measurements are now further complicated because seed bead sizes vary slightly between manufacturers, with Japanese beads tending to be slightly larger than Czech beads of the same given size. Add to this the fact that surface coatings and finishes also increase the physical size of a bead and the whole process seems ripe for a new universal standard of measurement!
Seed beads are classified with a number that relates to their size, and whilst there is doubt as to their actual size the most important thing to remember is that the smaller the bead number the larger the bead. The 0 here is pronounced aught. This number is based on the fact that, historically, bead manufacturers used to refer to the standard sized beads that they made in the largest quantities as size 0 or null.
Due to the differing manufacturing processes, coatings and finishes employed in seed bead production in the Czech Republic and Japan, as explained above, these measurements can only ever be an approximation. The table below presents the more common coatings and finishes from the four main seed bead producers.
As is the case with bead shapes and shape refinements, the coatings and finishes that are applied to beads are another area where continuous innovation and attempts to out do the competition come into play. New coatings and finishes are released with increasing regularity. As with any applied coatings and finishes there is the possibility of fading through long exposure to sun light, or wear through day to day use.
However this is now far more likely with cheap Indian seed beads and Chinese seed beads than with the four main seed bead manufacturers. They have all added a final firing stage into their process to ensure their coatings and finishes are as durable as they can be. As has been the case throughout history the formulas and processes used in glass production remain a closely guarded secret. Usually applied to one side of a bead but it can be used over the entire surface.
Ceylon Seed Bead A pearl lustre surface finish or inside colouring of opaque beads Dyed Seed Bead A seed bead that has been surface dyed to a secondary colour. The colouring is on the surface and therefore can rub off over time Galvanised Seed Bead A coloured surface coating or plating with a metal appearance. Techniques have improved but there is potential for this surface coating to rub off Black Lined Seed Bead A black coating applied to the inside wall of a transparent or coloured seed bead adding depth of colour Brass Lined Seed Bead A brass like coating which reflects a brass light when applied to the inside wall of a transparent or coloured seed bead Bronze Lined Seed Bead A bronze like coating which reflects a brown light when applied to the inside wall of a transparent or coloured seed bead Copper Lined Seed Bead A copper like coating which reflects a reddish light when applied to the inside wall of a transparent or coloured seed bead Silver Lined Seed Bead A silver like coating which reflects light when applied to the inside wall of a transparent or coloured seed beads Frost Seed Bead Matte frosted beads typically in bronze, gold or rainbow finishes Iris Seed Bead An amazing iridescent coating when applied to dark opaque seed beads.
Typically a rainbow based around purple Lustre Seed Bead A transparent bead with a subtle pearl, silver, or gold surface finish producing a soft reflected light Marbled Seed Bead A recent Toho seed beads innovation taking an opaque bead and giving it a marbled surface coating. Also available as gilded marble with a surface coating of uneven gilding over the marbled surface Matte Seed Bead The seed beads are etched at a microscopic level producing a dull finish that does not reflect light Metallic Seed Bead A shiny, vibrant metal surface coating or plating over an opaque or transparent base giving the appearance of metal, typically bronze or gunmetal Opal Seed Bead A translucent seed bead lined with silver or gold Opaque Seed Bead Seed beads that are solid in colour and therefore not transparent Pearl Seed Bead An opaque seed bead given a pearlised surface coating Rainbow Seed Bead An iridescent coating on the outside of either an opaque or transparent bead Satin Seed Bead Seed beads made from translucent low lustre glass Stripe Seed Bead Seed beads made with two or more glass colours Translucent Seed Bead Glass seed beads that allow diffused light to pass through them Transparent Seed Bead Glass seed beads that are see through even when coloured.
With lighter colours these beads look almost clear. Seed beads are sold either by the hank or by weight in grams. If you buy Czech seed beads, or vintage European seed beads, they would normally come in hanks with a label denoting their country of origin and manufacturer. Each hank contains approximately 12 strands of 20 inches. The length and number of strands may wary from the different sized beads though. However, as a service to their customers as well watching their margins!
This is ideal for those using smaller quantities of beads across a range of colours but a hank proves more economical when a larger quantity of beads is required. If you are doing loomwork , square stitch , Ndebele herringbone stitch , or any other tight stitch that results in a cloth-like swatch of beaded fabric, you can use the last table to figure out the approximate number of beads per square inch or per square centimeter.
Remember that the amounts and measurements given in these tables are only estimates. They were calculated by weighing and measuring opaque black Japanese seed beads and cylinder beads. Always buy more seed beads than you think you will need for a project to avoid running out in the middle of the project.
This is especially important since dye lots can vary from lot to lot, so there is no guarantee if you buy more at a later date that it will match the original beads you purchased. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors.
Featured Video. Read More.
0コメント