Archive for February 17th, 2010
Popular Types of Beads. Part II
Hello everyone. I would like to continue the previous post about popular types of beads. As you already know, beads differ from each other by their shape,size and colour. Here’s a description of the most popular kinds of beads and the characteristics of each one.
Dichroic Beads: Are high end art beads that come in a numerous variety of colours and shapes. The beads are produced when multiple layers of metal oxides are applied to the surface of regular glass and then formed into beads. The colour you see in the bead depends on what metal oxides were used and how much was used. These beads are most impressive because due to the metal oxides, the colour seems to change depending on the angle it is viewed at.
Fusible Beads: Are small, plastic and colourful beads that are placed on a special reusable pegboard to form a picture. They are then melted together using an iron. The beads come in a variety of colours while the pegboards come in a variety of shapes. They are very popular with children.
Lampwork Beads: Are handmade through a process of layering and adding different colours of glass to create a three dimensional bead. Since they are handmade, each bead is unique in colour, shape and size. Beads that have pictures on them are also called lampwork beads, even if they weren’t handmade.
