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Making Sense of Seed Beads
printer friendly versionMaking Sense of Seed Beads
With all the brands, sizes and colors of seed beads on the market today, it's often difficult to know which to choose for your projects.
This article focuses on three popular brands of size 11/0 seed beads (the most common) available at Fire Mountain Gems and Beads.
This article focuses on three popular brands of size 11/0 seed beads (the most common) available at Fire Mountain Gems and Beads.
Delica® Seed Beads
Glass Seed Beads by Miyuki Shoji of Japan
Delica beads have long been the most popular seed beads for bead-weaving because of their precise size, shape, and consistent hole size.
Bead Shape:
Delica beads were the first to be manufactured using a special process that creates regular, cylindrical shaped beads -- which is very different from the manufacturing process of the traditional ''donut'' or standard seed bead shape.
Delicas are available in two shapes, round (circular cut) and hex-cut. Hex-cut beads are machine cut to form a six-sided exterior; the hole remains the same. They are available in what is called size 11/0. They are slightly smaller, between an 11/0 and a 12/0 size. This is the only size seed bead that is called Delica.
Colors Available:
Delica beads are made in every color of the rainbow and every color in between.
Delicas have different glass and surface treatments added to enhance colors, causing them, according to type, or project, to recede, glow or soften.
Enhancements include: transparent, opaque, color- or silver-lined, frosted, pearl finish, silky luster, metallic, gold-lined and even precious metal plated. Delicas also have different finishes added to the top of all of the enhancements mentioned above. The finishes include: matte, a non-reflective finish; iris, resembling colors of oil upon water; aurora borealis, reflections of a transparent rainbow superimposed over the base color; and satin, a soft color etched gently to a matte finish.
Beading Applications:
Delica beads are ideally suited to linked bead-weaving stitches, such as peyote or brick-stitch. They are also excellent for loom weaving, since they stack against one another so well in the weaving process and do not slip.
Shop all Delica® seed beads here
Delica beads come packaged in 7.5 gram vials as shown above
Delica beads have long been the most popular seed beads for bead-weaving because of their precise size, shape, and consistent hole size.
Bead Shape:
Delica beads were the first to be manufactured using a special process that creates regular, cylindrical shaped beads -- which is very different from the manufacturing process of the traditional ''donut'' or standard seed bead shape.
Delicas are available in two shapes, round (circular cut) and hex-cut. Hex-cut beads are machine cut to form a six-sided exterior; the hole remains the same. They are available in what is called size 11/0. They are slightly smaller, between an 11/0 and a 12/0 size. This is the only size seed bead that is called Delica.
Colors Available:
Delica beads are made in every color of the rainbow and every color in between.
Delicas have different glass and surface treatments added to enhance colors, causing them, according to type, or project, to recede, glow or soften.
Enhancements include: transparent, opaque, color- or silver-lined, frosted, pearl finish, silky luster, metallic, gold-lined and even precious metal plated. Delicas also have different finishes added to the top of all of the enhancements mentioned above. The finishes include: matte, a non-reflective finish; iris, resembling colors of oil upon water; aurora borealis, reflections of a transparent rainbow superimposed over the base color; and satin, a soft color etched gently to a matte finish.
Beading Applications:
Delica beads are ideally suited to linked bead-weaving stitches, such as peyote or brick-stitch. They are also excellent for loom weaving, since they stack against one another so well in the weaving process and do not slip.
Shop all Delica® seed beads here
Dyna-Mites™ Seed Beads
Seed Beads by Matsuno of Japan
 | Dyna-Mites™ seed beads are wonderfully consistent in shape and color as compared to the standard shaped seed beads on the market today.
Bead Shape: Dyna-Mites™ seed beads, made in Japan exclusively for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads, are best described as a cross between the shape of a Delica bead and a regular, donut-shaped (Czech) seed bead. Colors Available: Dyna-Mites™ seed beads come in a wide range of rich colors with beautiful color saturation and clarity. Dyna-Mite™ seed beads are available in many different finishes: ceylon pastels; silver lined; opaque; transparent color; transparent inside color; and transparent inside rainbow colors. Many of the above are also available with a matte finish. |
Beading Applications:
Dyna-Mite™ seed beads are perfect for just about any seed bead application, such as peyote, brick-stitch, loom weaving, netting, right angle weave and jewelry-making applications (used as spacers).
Dyna-Mites™ seed beads are economical and tough -- holding up to tight tension in netting, bead weaving and other applications, even to multiple passes of threads through the beads. They are excellent beads and are perfect to stock up on, especially if you are beading on a budget.
Shop all Dyna-Mites™ seed beads here
Czech Seed Beads
by The Ornela Company of the Czech Republic
Czech Seed Beads by Ornela have always been considered the ''gold standard'' of seed beads. Bead-making has long been a way of life for the people of the Czech Republic, especially in the Jablonec region. Known in the Middle Ages as Bohemia, this area has been the largest European bead center for hundreds of years, with techniques being handed down over generations of bead makers.
The Ornela Company is a well-respected glass supplier, also servicing the lampwork beading community with a selection of glass colors -- their reputation for glass is excellent. Fire Mountain Gems and Beads is proud to be a direct importer and distributor of Ornela seed beads.
Bead Shape:
Czech seed beads are a rounded, almost donut-shaped bead, some with square holes, others with round holes, depending on how they are made and whether they have a coloring or metallic lining on the inside of the bead hole.
Colors Available:
Czech Seed Beads by Ornela are available in a tantalizing variety of colors and treatments, including some colors that closely mimic the ''old colors'' which are only found in genuine antique beads.
The Ornela reds are especially rich and lovely due to the pure gold added while the glass is molten. Not only does the gold make the reds and pinks more brilliant, it also stabilizes the color and prevents it from fading. The rainbow colors are subtle yet glowing, and the selection of ''pearl'' shades is impressive.
Beading Applications:
Czech seed beads can be used in any type of beadwork. However, they are most often found in bead embroidery, especially in Native American regalia-making. Because of the round shape, they are also used extensively in jewelry making -- they mimic larger beads and add lovely glints of color to necklaces or bracelets when used as spacers.
Czech seed beads can also be used in loom weaving and in bead weaving, but can cause problems with stitch tension because of their rounded edges. If you wish to use these beads in bead weaving and have not done so before, try a matte-finished bead. Matte-finished beads tend to grip the thread well, making it easier to maintain proper tension.
Shop all Czech seed beads here
Czech Seed Beads by Ornela have always been considered the ''gold standard'' of seed beads. Bead-making has long been a way of life for the people of the Czech Republic, especially in the Jablonec region. Known in the Middle Ages as Bohemia, this area has been the largest European bead center for hundreds of years, with techniques being handed down over generations of bead makers.
The Ornela Company is a well-respected glass supplier, also servicing the lampwork beading community with a selection of glass colors -- their reputation for glass is excellent. Fire Mountain Gems and Beads is proud to be a direct importer and distributor of Ornela seed beads.
Bead Shape:
Czech seed beads are a rounded, almost donut-shaped bead, some with square holes, others with round holes, depending on how they are made and whether they have a coloring or metallic lining on the inside of the bead hole.
Colors Available:
Czech Seed Beads by Ornela are available in a tantalizing variety of colors and treatments, including some colors that closely mimic the ''old colors'' which are only found in genuine antique beads.
The Ornela reds are especially rich and lovely due to the pure gold added while the glass is molten. Not only does the gold make the reds and pinks more brilliant, it also stabilizes the color and prevents it from fading. The rainbow colors are subtle yet glowing, and the selection of ''pearl'' shades is impressive.
Samples show brilliant rainbow and pearl colors
Beading Applications:
Czech seed beads can be used in any type of beadwork. However, they are most often found in bead embroidery, especially in Native American regalia-making. Because of the round shape, they are also used extensively in jewelry making -- they mimic larger beads and add lovely glints of color to necklaces or bracelets when used as spacers.
Czech seed beads can also be used in loom weaving and in bead weaving, but can cause problems with stitch tension because of their rounded edges. If you wish to use these beads in bead weaving and have not done so before, try a matte-finished bead. Matte-finished beads tend to grip the thread well, making it easier to maintain proper tension.
Shop all Czech seed beads here
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