Glass Beads

Glass beads are decorative items that are used for decorating jewellery, clothing articles and accessories like bags, shoes, belts, etc. The craft of attaching a series of beads together or to another surface is called beadwork. The various beadwork methods include bead embroidery, loom and off-loom weaving. Along with these, bead crochet and stringing techniques are also commonly used. Along with glass beads, seed beads and murano beads are extensively used in European beadwork. The various types of glass beads include Chevron beads, Table Cut Beads and fire-polished beads. Additionally, Lampwork beads, Millefiori beads, pressed glass beads, and Swarovski crystal beads often find a place in designer jewellery.

Chevron beads are made by glassmakers based in Italy and contain multiple coloured glass layers. These are mainly composed of blue, red and white layers. Dichroic glass beads are high-quality art beads that change colours when viewed from different angles. Millefiori beads or mosaic beads are made of plain coiled glass bead cores as well as slender slices of cut cane (murrine) which are pushed into the bead surface. Pressed glass beads are created by pressing hot glass moulds into bead shapes. Holes can be drilled into these beads in practically any direction. Glass beads of various types, shapes and colours are available on sale on many online shopping portals.