Before you go out and shop for seed beads for your next crafting project, it is important to have enough information about the different sizes, types and materials available today.
Seed beads are given such name due to their extremely small size. These beads look like seeds in appearance, with some round while others are elongated in shape. Many of these beads are made from glass and are being manufactured in different parts of the world including the countries of Czech Republic and Japan.
These small jewels are being used in an array of crafts which include embroidery, loom work, quilting, jewelry and other similar kinds of projects. The beads are also often used as spacers when it comes to making bracelets well as other stringed crafts. There are some which are tubular in shape and these are ideal for spacing between bigger beads in order to give them the 3D appearance.
Prior to buying seed beads, you have to be more familiar about their sizes. These small beads are being measured in terms of one inch increments. As a general rule, this refers to the number of beads which can be cut from a glass rod of one inch. For instance, if you will be able to cut 8 beads from a one inch glass rod, its measurement is going to read as 8/10. This term is being spoken as eight ought. Ought is a term which literally means zero. This pertains to the standard measurement of the number of seeds that can fit to a string of one inch.
When the number is higher, the bead is smaller. Seed bead of 22.0 is extremely small as compared to one with a size of 8/0. Similarly, 11/0 is much smaller than a 6/0 bead. Through the years, there has been a debate regarding this standard measuring of beads although it gives a good understanding of the general measurement and the size chart for a more exact means of determining the bead size required for a certain craft project.
The quality of these seed beads can also differ to great degrees. There are some manufacturers which don’t make use of exact methods for their seed bead production. These methods often result to irregularity in sizes or shapes and sometimes, these as fused together as the result of inadequate handling.
Some other companies make use of more precise glass blowing method. Their end results are more exact and pleasing. The seed beads made with the use of a more exact method are pricier but are also more even in size and shape.
There are several ways on how you can purchase seed beads. Hank is one way of how several craft shops sell these beads. You can get more than a hundred beads in one hank. Also a great way to obtain these small beads is in tiny tins. The tins are much better since it is less likely for you to lose the small beads when these are safely stored inside a tin. There are also crafters which make use of fishing tackle boxes for keeping them separated by size and color.