Materials Used in Bead Making

Fancy jewellery is now a fad. In fact, beaded necklaces and bracelets, which are among the common types, are now widely available in the industry.

Moreover, beads are made of many types of materials. The earliest ones were created from materials readily found in nature. With the use of tedious and primitive methods, they were drilled and shaped into beads. As human technology progressively advanced, drilling and shaping more intricate pieces became possible.

Natural beads, as the name implies, are made from natural resources. Materials such as bone, horn, coral, ivory, animal shell, and even seeds can be processed. In fact, pearls are also being utilised, and they are one of the most precious beads because of their rarity. In addition, semi-precious stones, gemstones, and minerals are also utilised by many manufacturers. Some natural materials, due to their characteristics, typically require human intervention such as colour enhancement or irradiation.

Synthetic materials are also made into beads, the most common ones today being plastics and glass. But synthetics have been existent since time immemorial. In fact, the oldest synthetic materials for bead making were ceramics, bronze and brass, among others.

To add to this, plastic beads are used as common art materials by young children. These colourful pieces are usually arranged into interesting designs on a solid, plastic-backed peg array then melted altogether with a clothes iron. They may also be strung together into necklaces, bracelets or key chains. On the final note, with all these options available in the industry, anyone can now enjoy a wide range of jewellery designing possibilities!