So what the heck's a seed bead?
A seed bead is a very small bead, measuring from a millimeter to several millimeters that can be used in all kinds of stitching.
Who makes them?
The biggest makers come from Japan and the Czech Republic. France, India and China make them as well. However, French beads are metallic and are used mostly to refurbish antiques. Their Indian and Chinese counterparts are not as uniform as Japanese and Czech so the quality is not as good.
How big is a seed bead?
Depends. The standard measurement (from what I've gathered) is how many seeds to an inch (or unit, as the origin is debatable). For example, if 11 beads make up 1 inch (unit), that is a size 11 bead. The sizes can vary from size 5 to 24. Whether or not there are any smaller than 24 I don't know, it is the smallest size I have come across so far.
Some of these have some kind of weird finish or luster to them, what's up with that?
Ah-ha! You have stumbled upon the beauty of these wonderful beads. Some seed beads can either be transparent or opaque with many finishes and luster on them. In fact, another article is needed to explain so keep reading.
What are the methods of packaging?
Hank or gram weight.
What the heck's a hank?
A bundle of strands of seeds. For example, a size 11 hank would have 12 strands of 20 inches of strung beads. However, the size of the bead determines the strand number and length of strand.
However, I must point out that buying a hank of Japanese seeds is a rarity, but quite common with their Czech counterparts.
Sounds good. Looks like I'll be checking this out now.
So there you have it, a baby primer into the wonderful world of seed beads. So grab a thread, needle, some beads and get to work. Happy stringing!
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