Beading charm

We see lots of such nice things in stores: cute little beaded purses or even bigger bags, lovely beaded bracelets and necklaces, even cute little animals. Sometimes the technique used is so fine, and they look so nice, that you simply cannot help buying them. But people have been making such art pieces for thousands of years, so why not try and do some ourselves? All we need is beads, needle and thread, and of course, loads of inspiration. And let us not forget: an enormous amount of patience! Of course, if you lack persistence, the idea to buy them already made is much more appealing!

Beading, also known in more technical terms as "beadwork" or "bead art" can be defined simply as the art of putting together different beads, of different colors, shapes and sizes, in order to create a special piece. Beadwork may refer to making necklaces, rings, bracelets, brooches, or any other type of jewelry. It may also imply decorating eggs, making objects like bags, masks, toys, and so on. It really seems to highly depend on the artist's imagination. You can make almost anything out of beads and make it look fantastic. All you need is a needle, some thread and of course, all kinds of beads.

Beads have been used by most of the worldwide cultures for their personal embellishment. According to archeologists, they have been made by humans for over 5,000 years, and they are still highly in fashion these days. Religious rituals are also known to have been using beads (if we are to think of the prayer beads, the Catholic Rosary, talismans, etc.)

There is an incredible number of beads, of all sizes and shapes and colors, that you can use creatively in order to make beautiful pieces. They come in different materials, like glass, wood, plastic, metal, shell, clay, etc. There are also pearls, pendants, semi-precious stones.

Each bead type has a specific name. The most common type are the seed beads, which are very small and short pieces of glass usually having a round shape. The most known are the Japanese, the Chinese or the Czech. Seed beads are very short pieces of chopped glass cane that are heated until they form smooth shapes, usually round. The most commonly available are Chinese, Czech or Japanese. The best and most resistant ones are the Japanese. As far as the shape is concerned, the round ones are called rocailles. To the same family of seed beads also belong Delica beads, triangular beads, square beads, hexagonal beads, and so on.

Delica beads have a cylindrical shape, large holes and thin walls. This type of beads make an excellent choice for weaving and also certain beadwork techniques, because of their shape. Other seed beads are the Charlottes.

The so-called "donuts" are the ones that actually look like donuts: circles with large holes in the middle. They can be made of different materials, but quite frequently made of half-precious stones.

The crystal beads or crystals have a special shine since they are generally made of glass. These beads are often used for tiaras and wedding gowns. Some other kinds of beads may include pearls, liquid beads, lamp-worked beads (which are handmade piece by piece by using rods of glass and a fire torch.), shell beads, and many others. I also have to mention that all these above mentioned beads are to be found on the market, either in special shops and stores, or on the internet. But the never resting imagination of an artist can find beading materials almost anywhere around him/her. You can use interesting pieces of wood, acorns, fir cones, and really most anything.

At any rate, the most interesting and even fascinating type of beading seems to be the freeform beading. This special type is generally based on the so-called peyote stitch, coming from the Pre-Columbian South and North American culture, for instance, the Indian tribes. It has a specific technique to follow, but no pattern, so one can start with a certain form and end up unexpectedly, it all depends on the inspiration, sense of color and measure. The whole beauty of such beading is that every piece of creation is unique, never the same.