Creation!

Beads! Beads! Beads! How Are Beads Made?

There are so many types of beads, and they are all made in different ways. Beads that are not made out of glass are mostly just cut, shaped, and have a hole through the center, but glass beads are much more of a challange. There are thousands of ways to make them, and below is just a few;

GLASS BEADS!- Glass is a mixture of quartz, sand, and potash or soda, heated with lime. There are many types of ways to make glass beads, and many cultures made them. Venetian glass making techniques were often said to be the best. Glass beads are formed in many different ways. The ones that are most used today are:

//Wound//: Beads are made by winding the melted glass around a metal wire, they are then cut and polished.



//Mosaic//: mosaic beads are very elegent, and are made out of entirely colorful pieces of glass stuck together.

//Millefiori//: Theese beads are layers of colored glass fused together, and then melted again on a bead to create a beautiful design. The final product can look like flowers, like faces, like an abstract pattern, or even a realistic scene.

//Chevron//: a very popular bead, first made in the 1400's in Venice. This bead is made by molted glass on glass canes, formed into star shaped molds with many layes Their ends a cut to create a zig-zag star shaped affect



//Blown//: Blown glass beads are made by blowing into a glass tube that has a small piece of molten glass on the end. The tube is turned over heat until the bead reaches the correct size. Wood beads - Wooden beads are very, very old. Back in the day, before macines, people picked up dead twigs, bored out the soft centers and sliced them to make beads. No tools were even needed. Wooden beads have exicted for thousands of years and the same process and the old days is repeated to make beads, just with macines and paint.

Plastic beads - plastic beads are made nearly the same way as glass beads are, just that they are made out of plastic. Plastic beads are very cheap becuase they are mass produced and very cheap.

Metal beads - Like wood beads, metal beads have been around for centuries. The same process is used to make metal beads as is to make wood beads.

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Beading Dictionary!

Beading History!

​ Types of Beads!

What To Do With Your Beads!?

How To Make Your Own Beads!

Beaded Art From Around The World!

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