The Basics - Beads

There are just simply amazing beads available for jewelry and the selections are endless. Sometimes, I get design ideas by just looking through my bead selection or a catalog. Lets talk about the major categories.

Crystal Beads

Swarovski is the authority on crystal beads and components, and the company is constantly creating new styles. There are endless design possibilities with Swarovski crystals. Celestial crystal beads may not have as wide a variety of beads but they do offer a nice selection and are more affordable.

Gemstone Beads

Make elegant jewelry with gemstones like amethyst, carnelian, garnet and so many more.

Glass Beads

Glass beads always amaze me, and I must confess that, so far, I actually prefer these to gemstone beads. I guess I just love colorful glass. There are so many different kinds, including lampwork beads. Lampwork beads are painstakingly made by hand with colored glass and a torch. No two are exactly alike.

Metal Beads

Precious metal – Gold and silver, of course, fall into this category. Gold beads are available in 14K and 18K. By law, the amount of gold present cannot be less than 14K. Vermeil items have a silver center that has been heavily electroplated with gold. Vermeil beads are slightly less expensive than gold beads.

Plated beads – Plated beads usually have a brass center that has been lightly electroplated with gold or silver.

Cloisonné – The colorful patterns on cloisonné beads are made with enamel and separated with thin strips of metal.

Pewter – Pewter is an alloy of tin and other metals. It was originally an alloy of tin and lead. If you are purchasing pewter items, be sure that they are lead-free.

Other metal beads include brass, copper, and zinc alloy.

Natural Beads

Natural beads are beads made of natural components like bone, wood, nuts, seeds and shells.

Pearls

Natural pearls are those that are naturally produced in an oyster or mussel without any kind of human intervention. They are usually not evenly shaped.

Cultured pearls – These have been produced in freshwater oyster farms. A tiny grain of sand, glass or mother-of-pearl is injected into the oyster, which immediately begins to surround it with nacre. It will continue to do this while it lives, creating an increasingly bigger pearl.

Imitation pearls include glass-based pearls and crystal pearls by Swarovski. There are some truly beautiful ones and they are available in different colors.

Plastic Beads

Plastic beads are not just for kids these days! Acrylic bead designers are creating very sophisticated-looking beads now. You can even take the regular beads uptown with elaborate clasps. These beads are courtesy of Firemountaingems.com.




Seed beads

Sizes range from 6 to 22. The higher the number, the smaller the bead and size 22 seed beads are the smallest at 0.9mm. However, these are no longer in production. The seed beads most commonly found are the size 6, 8, 11 and 15. The following chart is courtesy of Firemountaingems.com.