Wholesale Beads

The legacy of beads has certainly come a long way from about 75,000 years ago when the first beads were unearthed from archeological sites in Egypt, France, Japan, India, North America, and South Africa.  Modern uses of beads have extended from jewelry to curtain crafts, embroidery, and just about anything that require decorating.  But typically, among the multiple purposes of beads are being applied for creative works.  Jewelry designers and artisans use beads to enhance the value of their works.  

Beads appear to be closely related to human's instincts to have a sense of one's self.  Beads are commonly being produced mostly by indigenous peoples as part of their culture but people in urbanized countries use them often for glamour, which is the reason for large-scale production of beads.  Beads are cheaper when bought as wholesale.  These sites help you find wholesale beads of varying kinds.

There are several types of wholesale beads available in the market today.  There are those that cost lesser compared to pearls and Swarovski crystals that due to rarity are considered precious and more expensive.  When trying to purchase wholesale beads, you can begin by selecting the beads based on their color, size, shape, and price.  You can also mix sizes and colors of different beads to achieve various designs.  If you opt to buy precious beads, aspects to consider are clarity and precision of cut of the beads.

It's also helpful to have knowledge on beads sizes and bead terminology.  For seed beads, the sizes are between 1.3mm and 3.3mm.  For a 16-inch strand close to 130, 3mm size beads are needed, 100 beads for 4mm, 67 for 6mm, 50 for 8mm, and 40 for 10mm.  To make a 20-inch strand, 170 beads are needed for a bead 3mm in size, 127 for 4mm, 85 for 6mm, 63 for 8mm, and 50 for 10mm.  For strands that measure 24 inches, you need 200 beads for 3mm, 150 for 4mm, 100 for 6mm, 75 for 8mm, and 60 for 10mm.  In addition, 300 beads are required to fill up a 36-inch strand when the bead size is 3mm, 225 for 4mm, 150 for 6mm, 113 for 8mm, and 90 for 10mm.  You also need to subtract the number of beads to the length of the clasp you will use.

Arizona Bead Company is a wholesale beads supplier and importer of various kinds of beads such as Swarovski Austrian Crystal Beads, Sterling silver and gold filled beads, Czech glass beads, Israeli silver, glass bead mixes, fireball beads, fiber optic beads, magnetic hematite and magnetic clasps, stringing wire, stone beads, tools for jewelry making, and many more.  The company features an online catalog where you can view their items.  Their website www.arizonabeadcompany.com offers more information on wholesale beads.

Fire Mountain Gems has been in business since 1973 and offers a wide array of wholesale beads: crystal beads, gemstone beads, glass beads, metal beads, natural beads, pearls, acrylic beads, seed and bugle beads, and turquoise beads.  Their beads products are made into fashion jewelry in varying designs.  Their website www.firemountaingems.com offers best sellers where you can find beading ideas to incorporate in your own designs.