If you are thinking about making a beautiful handmade accessory for a friend or a loved one, you are sure to want to find the perfect bead or gem to suit their taste. Before you start, you need to think about your friend’s tastes for there are two very different types of beads; one is a glamorous and feminine gem and the other, a classic and simple bead.

If your friend or loved one already has a lot of elegant jewellery such as diamond rings and silver necklaces, then why not surprise them with a one of a kind, handmade beaded bracelet? Once you have read my articles on how to make your own jewellery, now is the time to decide which beads you should use.

Lead Crystal Beads

If you want to make a glamorous and feminine bracelet, then I would recommend using lead crystal beads.

Lead oxide is added to molten glass which gives these beads an amazing shine and shimmering effect. Surprisingly, these gems are quite soft, so great care must be taken to ensure you do not scratch the surface. Some of the most notable makers of lead crystal include Swarovski (Austria), Steuben Glass (USA) and Arc International (France).

Seed Beads

If you want to make a simple and classic accessory, then you might like the sound of seed beads. They are delicate beads which range in style and size, from ovals to rectangles. They are often used as dividers between other beads but they are also striking by themselves.

Before World War II, there was a huge bead industry in eastern Europe where many factories made beads out of glass, metal, aluminum and steel. However, most of the factories were destroyed during the war. If you are lucky enough to find one of these rare, vintage beads, it will certainly add a striking feature to the bracelet, as well as being an interesting story to tell your friend.

Elegant or classic? The beads can make all the difference!

Beads

There are many types of beads available, and choosing the right beads for a project is essential. So, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of finding a good supplier who will be able to advise you on the best beads to use.
Most beads are sold either by weight (grams) or in hanks. It is impossible to mention every bead available, so I focus on the most common ones.

Seed beads

Seed beads are the most popular type of bead. There are two types of seed beads:

* Japanese beads are cylindrical in shape and range in size from 6 (the largest) to 22 (the smallest). They are thought to be more uniform in size and have larger holes than the equivalent size of Czech bead. They are ideal for all types of beadwork.

* Czech beads range in size from 7 to 20. They are usually more doughnut-shaped than Japanese beads, and are best used for off-loom beading and bead embroidery

Delica beads(antique beads)

These superior beads are perfectly cylindrical in shape and have thin walls and large holes. They are ideal for bead weaving where a very flat, smooth finish is required. There are only two sizes – size 11 and the larger size 8. Delica beads are more expensive than seed beads, but well worth using for that special project.

Bugle beads

Bugle beads are long cylindrical beads available in a variety of colors, finishes and twists. They are sized in millimeters, the most common sizes being 2, 3, and 5mm. Take care when using them as they can have quite shape edges which could cut through thread. Bugle beads are mainly used for edgings and fringes.

Shaped beads

Apart from the usual cylindrical shape, there are also other shapes of beads – triangles, squares and hexagonal (six sided) – which can give an unusual and different texture to your project. Shaped beads can be found in a variety of materials: metals, glass, plastic and wood.

Faceted beads

A faceted bead has many flat surfaces (called faces or facets) cut into it that reflects light. Most common in gemstone jewelry but there are many different beads that are available faceted. Crystal beads are a good example of faceted beads. They are useful as accent or feature beads, and I use them quite frequently. They are sized in millimeters from 3 to 10mm.

Round beads

These can be made from plastic, wood, glass or semi-precious stones. They are sized in millimeters from 2 to 10mm or even larger.

Have you ever heard about skull beads? Personally, I discovered this type of beads a few days ago. But skull beads have a great story. They have been around for at least 3,000 years. The earliest skull beads were made about 1000 BC. They used to make small skull beads out of clay.

Today, skull beads, just like the clay beads are on top of popularity. More and more people want to have a skull bead bracelet or a skull bead necklace. I think it because of the rock style, mostly Gothic style. But skull beads have other functions too.

Plastic skull beads are perfect for making creepy necklaces, key chains, bracelets and more for Halloween. With leather cording, skull beads can provide something scary for all your party guests. No guest should leave your Halloween party without a way to remember the fun they had. Let them create their own party favor with the help of skull beads.

Source: http://myskullbeads.com - all about skull beads.

Troll beads are one of the most popular and most unique types of beads. But what are troll beads?  Troll beads are beads that have history, they can tell you their own story.

Troll beads have been around for 30 years, but they are still very popular becouse of their design. Collecting these beads is a real entertening hobby for bead jewelry lovers. There is a large variety of troll beads. Everyone can create unique troll bead bracelet or troll bead necklace with the help of troll beads. The only limit that you’ll have is your own mind and imagination.

Another reason, why troll beads are so popular today is that they can show your personal sence of style . Troll beads can be made of different materials : silver, gold, glass.

You already know that there are a lot of different types of beads. One of the most important difference is the beads size.

 Beads can be very small or rather big.  If you are interested in making beads or making beaded jewelry, you should know which size will be the best choice for you jewelry. Here is a table for sizes of beads. Take a look at it.

If you didn’t understand anything from this table, you can take a look at the picture:

 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.

Today beads and beading are at the peak of their popularity. More and more women want to  make beaded jewelry, which of course will be unique. This article is written for beginners, who don’t know much about beading and making beads. So,If you want to gain some information about beads, find out new types of beads, this article will be very useful for you.

If you are looking forward to making your own beaded jewelry and are wondering how to  start, here is a small guide to the world of beads:

* Seed beads:These are small beads which are capable of producing a detailed design.

* Metal beads:  Gold, silver,  platinum or bronze-plated beads are best chosen for lending a metallic shimmer to your bead jewelry. If you use them in your beaded bracelet, you will see that the result will be amazing.

* Cut beads: These are a bit bigger sized beads, which can  be used for sewed on using a sinew.

* Pony beads: These are much like the seed beads, but a bit bigger in size. Jewelry made with these beads can be very detailed, and of course very beautiful.

* Charlotte beads:These beads are quiet rare. They are  round, true-cut beads with fewer facets.
* Bugle beads: These are small tubular beads which are used for decoration.
* Plastic beads: These are an inexpensive alternative to glass beads, often used in projects by children who are just beginning to learn to bead.
* Glass and crystal beads: These are one of the most popular type of beads. The major name in this segment, boasting the finest cut and purity, is Swarovski crystal beads.
* Clay beads: Though they are  called clay beads, they are not  made from clay. Clay beads originate from a combination of PVC (polyvinyl chloride), a color pigment and a product that gives it a plastic-like texture.

These are just a few of the many types of beads. Because of their popularity, beads are becoming more and more varied. So, if you’ll make the right choice, you will get unique beaded jewelry. If you are interested in beading, you may also read the article about making handmade beaded jewelry.
Good luck and happy beading with www.beads-making.com

Bugle Beads-one of the types of beads, that is most popular nowadays. It is made by cutting tubes.  Such beads,that have length from 4 cm to 30 cm are called Bugle Beads.

If the tubes are cutted with some angle. Thats why they become too sharp. My advise will be to interleave such sharp beads with ordinary rounded beads.

One of the most good quality if bugle beads isBright shine in reflected light. Thats why nowadays more and more people decorate their clothes with bugle beads.

Lac beads are one of the rarest and most unique beads in the world. They are made from a natural and eco-friendly substance called lac. Lac is a resinous substance which is secreted by tiny lac insects (say beetle) which belong to bug family. The widely known lac insect in India is known as “kerria lac kerr”. Lac is safe to use as it is non-toxic and bio-degradable product.

Lac beads can be found in many colors and designs. They have a shiny luster which gives them an exotic look. Generally, lac beads are handmade and require an expert craftsmanship to give them an exclusive shape. These handmade beads are very famous and people prefer wearing lac worked jewelries than other jewelry as the products made up of lac are anti-allergic to skin as compared to other metal jewelry.

Lac beads can be found in varying shapes such as round beads, square beads, heart shaped beads, bell beads, and egg shaped beads and many other unusual shapes. Beaded lac beads with works of mirrors, cut-stones, metal rings, tiny small beads and other accessories give these lac beads a royal look. Many jewelries such as earrings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants can be made using lac beads. Apart from making jewelry, these lac beads can also be used to decorate homes. For example, during Christmas these beads can be used to decorate Christmas trees. Lac beads are very unique and different from other types of beads. For people who are in search of wholesale beads, lac beads can turn out to be a great choice.

Articles made up of lac beads give a graceful and tempting touch to the decor. Lac is delicately used to make beautiful lac beads which truly combine colors with superlative designs.

Nowadays,there are a lot of different types of beads. They differ from each other by shape,colors,height. Here you can find some of the most popular types of beads.

Natural opaque colours – the natural colour opaque beads – it’s made of opaque glass of various colourings , without a brilliant covering. They are used under the term “ceramics”.Successfully”porcelain” approaches for any embroidery and weaving of any products, especially in ornamental in a combination to beads.

Natural transparent colours ­ – transparent beads with natural colours – beads,made of colour glass without an additional covering. It is recommended for manufacturing of colours, and just as a basis at weaving with imposing. Use in an embroidery is limited by that the used thread and an outline can appear through

Metallic colours – a metallic colour – opaque beads painted «under metal»  bright tones. It is applied to an embroidery of pictures and manufacturing of souvenirs.