Glass Beads

Want to give pieces of jewelry as gifts but can't afford precious stones?  You've found the right article to give you an idea of glamorous, elegant gifts fit for your budget.  Glass beads come in a kaleidoscope of colors, sizes, and shapes that will definitely earn the adoration of that loved one.  Aside from gifts, glass beads have qualified as currency, works of art, or high status symbols.

These trinkets have been worn by women, created and traded since the earliest of civilizations, from Egyptians, Romans, the Indians, and Vikings.  Their great variety makes them suitable for any occasion and purpose.  You can name any color on the spectrum and you'll find them in any glass bead design.

The most popular origin of glass beads is the Czech Republic.  Beading using glass is an age-old cottage industry and the Czechs have perfected in making them by employing the premium glass materials.  You can select from several numbers of Czech beads like the Bicone beads, Fire-polished beads, Druk Beads, Cathedral beads, Flat backs, Montees, pressed glass with Aurora Borealis finish, Fancy Finish pressed glass, Natures Splendor pressed glass, opaque pressed glass, transparent pressed glass, and many more.

You'll be hard-pressed to choose from the magnitude of styles and colors you can find online.  Well, one tip in selecting or creating your own design is to follow what color complements what, or simply select one color.  Then unleash your creativity by combining different shapes or go for a mono-shaped piece.  Some of the best designs for 2007 add more soul to the glass bead jewelry.  You can go as far as adding feathers for an ethnic look, mix rounded and cubed beads, big and small, simple to extravagant, etc.

Understanding Glass Beads

Dichroic glass is handmade by fusing glass on top of one another to provide dramatic effects of forms and colors.  Oftentimes, a layer of black or crystal clear glass is fused over a dichroic glass or the other way around to achieve an effect.

East India Glass beads are likewise handmade by employing the lampworking process.  These types of beads can be very inexpensive, however, you'd have to contend with their durability since Indian lamp-workers do not give much attention to the process called annealing.  But if it’s the designs you're up to, lampwork beads make for great value.

Chinese lampwork glass beads as well as pendants are very chic.  Although some styles have been copied from American designs, you can find the differences in durability, craftsmanship, and artistry in the details.  There is also a notable difference in prices since Chinese lampwork beads are a lot more inexpensive compared to their American counterparts. 

Czech Crystal Drops have the shape of teardrops made of leaded glass crystal.  You can find horizontal holes drilled at the narrow end of the glass beads.  The Austrian crystal beads are quite dazzling and you can find them cut perfectly.  They are more brilliant compared to the Czech fire polish bead (which offer quite similar effects), colors are more vibrant with sharper edges.  Clear goes for "crystal" while "jet" is for black.  An Aurora Borealis finish provides multiple color-shine to a bead.