The beads that we tend to think of as traditional beadwork are called seed beads ‚ because of their small size they resemble seeds. These beads were used in early beadwork ‚ the work of the Egyptians.

The Egyptians used a type of bead called faience beads. Our seed beads today are made of glass, but Egyptians were using beads long before the invention of glass. Their faience beads were made from quartz particles fused together. A glaze was applied over the quartz. The beads were then woven or strung into a variety of jewelry and clothing.

Beaded necklaces were found in the tomb of King Tut. Other beaded items in his tomb were a pair of slippers he perhaps wore as a child and a hassock. It’s unusual for ancient beadwork to survive since it was strung on cords made from leather and cloth, which tend to disintegrate with age. We are fortunate to have these few examples to give us a perspective on the history of Egyptian beading.

Some religious texts from India refer to beads being woven into hair and into horse’s tails. These references were recorded around the 9th century BC. And beads were also widely used throughout Asia in ancient times. There were beaded items found in temples in Japan that date back to 800 A.D.
Early beads were fashioned from shells, ivory and stone. Early Egyptians valued the beads according to the stone that was used to create the beads. Different stones were thought to have different properties.

Lapis Lazuli, a beautiful blue stone, was believed to protect the wearer’s health. This stone was often fashioned into beads, as were carnelian, feldspar, amethyst, turquoise and jasper ‚ many of the same stones we use today.

Glass was introduced as a component of beads around 1480, when Venice began drawing glass tubes and turning them into beads. Once the technology for pulling glass tubes was invented, it was easy to suddenly produce thousands of beads, all uniform in size, color and shape.

Modern jewelry and beading certainly benefits from the advances made in the production of beads, but there’s no doubt that even today, an individually handcrafted bead can be the star attraction of any beading piece.

Author : Felicity Walker

Beads can be strung together in any number of combinations to create different objects. Most of the times we create ornamental items like bracelets, earrings, and so on. Accomplished beaders are known to create highly complex bead items like multi-strand necklaces and complete ornament sets.
Beads come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes and styles. Some well known types include: Delica beads (cylindrical and very symmetric), opaque beads (non-transparent, single color), donut beads (donut-shaped beads in various colors), Aurora Borealis beads (multicolored, also clear or opaque), galvanized beads (with a metal coating), seed beads (small beads that make the body of the ornament or that fill the spaces between the bigger beads), transparent beads, silver lined or gold lined beads, matte finish (dull coating) beads and more.
Beads are made from almost any possible material including stone, glass, metal, wood, semi-precious and precious stones. Select the materials based upon the design and the item that you are planning to make. When selecting beads, look for uniformity in the finishing and the ease of stringing them together as the main factors in your purchase.

Source : http://www.jewelry-thailand.com/