seed beads

Seed beads are uniformly shaped, spheroidal beads ranging in size from under a millimetre to several millimetres.

Units of measure - The most popular seed bead size is 11/0 ("eleven-aught"), but sizes range from 22/0 (believed to be the smallest) to 6/0 or 5/0 (the largest). The term "aught" refers to how many beads can fit into a standard unit. The origin of the name is debatable.Size numbers are also used. Unfortunately online verdors will typically not explain the correlation between size numbers and aughts and millimeters.< ;td? bgcolor=lightyellow align=center>aught size6/0 3.3 10& lt;/tr>8/0 2.5 13& lt;/tr>9/0 2.2 15& lt;/tr>10/02.0 16& lt;/tr>11/01.8 20& lt;/tr>13/01.5 27& lt;/tr>14/01.4 24& lt;/tr>15/01.3 25& lt;/tr>delica1.8 20

mm diameter	beads per inch!

By hank or by weight - Seed beads are sold either by "hank" or by gram weight. ; HanksA hank is unit bundle of strands of seed beads or bugle beads. There are usually 12 strands of 20 inches of strung beads in each modern hank of 11/o beads. Different sizes and types of beads may be sold in hanks which have different numbers and lengths of strands.Different hanks (age, type, size) have had from 8 to 14 strands, and lengths have varied from 8 to 20 inches per strand.For example, Charlotte size 13/0 cut beads are generally on short hanks, containing 12 twelve-inch strands. Some vintage 18/0 hanks have had 10 strands of 8-10 inches (200 to 250 mm) each.Czech seed beads are sold from the factories by the hank. They are very often repackaged into tubes, bags, or other containers for retail sale, in quantities varying from 5 grams to 40 or more grams. When Czech beads are repackaged, they are usually sold by the gram, which creates some confusion on how many beads come on a hank. Not every 20 inch strand of size 11 beads weighs the same.A hank of size 2 bugles or size 11 seed beads generally weighs between 30 and 40 grams, depending on manufacturing variations, coatings or linings. Purchasing Czech beads by the hank is usually a better value than the repackaged beads by far.A production run of a custom made seed bead is 8 kilograms. The beads are produced in Czech Republic using a 10 kilogram rod of color glass. The excess glass is recycled to form new rods. The color glass rods are produced from a larger mass melt of some 10 metric tons. Formulas for different colors of glass are held closely. The receipe for a true black glass was lost during World War I. Modern black glass held to sunlight is a deep purple. Examples of true black glass are circulating in jewelry pieces made to comemerate the funeral of Queen Victoria. The appearance of the color can be transparent or opaque. Transparent seed beads benefit fromlining the interior hole in silver, gold, copper. Linings of pink or blue are also common. An exterior coating of a metallic film adds a lustre to seed beads called "AB" - Aurora Borealis.Glass rods made with concentric layers of color or stripes of color can be used to make patterns of color in seed beads.Seed bead machinery uses glass rods softened to a red heat, fed into a steel die stamp that forms the shape of the bead with a reciprocating needle that forms the hole. Manual and automatic machinery is in use in the Czech Republic. As the steel dies wear eventually, they are replaced. ; WeightJapanese beads are sold by gram weight, never by the hank, despite some seller claims on eBay. Most Japanese seed beads are repackaged for retail sale in manageable quantities based on price codes. More expensive beads may be sold in 2.5 or 5 gram units. Standard Japanese seed beads are usually sold in approximately 10 gram tubes. Thus, a 250 gram wholesale package would fill 25 tubes -- a bit more than the average beader would need. One major supplier, Miyuki, sells factory packages which contain up to 1 kg of beads, and are almost always repackaged into tubes or other containers for retail sale. To accommodate the average "wholesale" customer, whether it be a bead shop or designer, some larger distributors have made deals to receive their wholesale packages of beads in smaller (50 to 250 gram) pre-packaged sizes.Toho, the other major Japanese supplier, seems to have a more flexible packaging policy. Many of the tubed beads you see hanging in the craft stores are stamped with their name on the bottoms, indicating both a wholesale and retail packaging setup.

Uses and varieties - ; Seed beads"Seed Bead" is a generic term for any small bead. Usually rounded in shape, seed beads are most commonly used for Bead weaving on a loomloom and Off-loom bead weavingoff-loom bead weaving. They may be used for simple stringing, or as spacers between other beads in jewelry. Larger seed beads are used in various fiber crafts for embellishment, or crochet with fiber or wire.; Cylinder beadsDuring the last decade, a new shape of Japanese seed beads, the cylinder bead, has become increasingly popular. Unlike regular rounded seed beads, the cylinder beads are quite uniform in shape and size and have large holes for their size. Because the ends are flat instead of rounded, work created with cylinder beads has a flat, smooth texture. Rows and columns in weaving line up more uniformly, so pattern work comes out more accurate and even.There are now 3 versions of cylinder beads:

Delicas® made by Miyuki

Treasures (formerly Antiques) made by Toho

tohobeads.net - Aiko - an all new, extremely precise bead made by Toho, and introduced in 2005; Swarovski® crystal beadsSwarovski crystal beads are also prized by hobbyists. They are a high-lead crystal, have an incredible sparkle and clarity, and are often multi-faceted to resemble gemstones. Styles and colors go in and out of production, so vintage cuts and colors are often prized with a similarly associated price tag.; Charlotte cut beadsCharlotte cuts are seed beads that have several facets per bead that add sparkle. Called "the most brilliant of all seed beads".; Other Most of today's good quality seed beeds are made in Japan or the Czech Republic. Japanese seed beads are more uniform than the Czech ones and have larger holes for the same size of bead. There are also good seed beads from France that are available in historic "old-time" colors and are popular for use in repairing or replicating antiquities.; Safety pin beadworkA new form of beadwork, now growing in popularity, is stringing beads onto safety pins and then stringing the pins onto a transverse pin past the spring. This creates a handsome lapel pin. The Girl Scouts use these as SWAPs. SWAP stands for Share With A Pal. They are also known as Friendship Pins.

Confusing terminology - Seed beads used by craftspersons should not be confused with Seed Beads™: laboratory-grown beads made of PTFE used to generate seeds of protein crystals.

External links - ; Some information resource sites

thebeadsite.com - The Bead Site Includes the Center for Bead Research

bead-world.com - Bead Facts/Charts Handy charts from Bead World

members.cox.net - Bead Weights and Measures

suncountrygems.com - Sun Country Gems Includes history and basic data

craftland.net - Craftland Bead Supply Czech seed beads sizes and colors; Seed bead manufacturers

tohobeads.net - Toho Beads A Japanese manufacturer's site, manufactures Treasures (formerly Antiques)

http: - Miyuki Beads The manufacturer of Delicas®

Out On A Whim
Castings, charms, beads and beading supplies, findings, needles and thread.
http://whimbeads.com/

Bead Room
Czech tri-cuts in size 9 and 11, vintage glass, and handmade beads.
http://www.beadroom.com/

Gail's Beads
Beads, beading kits, and fan pulls.
http://www.gailsbeads.com/

D.J. Whimsy! Beads Unlimited
Specializing in Czech glass beads.
http://www.whimsco.com

All Seed Beads
Specializes in Czech glass items. Catalogue, company introduction, and shipping information.
http://www.allseedbeads.com/