Shapes of Beads
Beads come in dozens of shapes and hundreds of sizes, colors, textures and styles.
They are combined in an infinite variety of designs, or featured as a single specimen.
Beads decorate everything from clothing to household objects, including burial clothing in ancient cultures.
Although by no means an exhaustive list, following is a sampling of some of the most-used shapes of beads.
Keep in mind that local custom, artisans, and materials may dictate the shape of the beads used in the ancient world.
In the modern world, new and old beads are still widely bought and sold.
Artisans, jewelers, hobbyists, and cottage-industry craftspeople create beaded items in great numbers.
The public eagerly buys their products and continues to support the industry with their patronage.
Seed:Usually made of glass, but sometimes made of plastic, seed beads are the tiny, usually translucent beads used by Native Americans for their detailed beadwork.
Seed beads are also used by jewelry-makers to weave or sculpt into earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.
Round: A popular shape for the millefiori beads of Venice, round beads are simply spheres drilled through with a hole for stringing.
Round beads made of precious or semi-precious stones are usually faceted, but not always.
More common gemstones are sometimes, but not usually, faceted.
Rondelle: Disk-shaped and predominantly used as spacers, rondelles help transition from one type of bead to another, or they break up a vast expanse of like beads.
One popular form of a rondelle is a line of crystals on its edge, which is the only part visible when strung.
Oval:Similar to rounds, oval beads are simply an elongated circle, tapered at each end.
The hole is drilled through the long axis of the bead.
They occupy a lot of space on a string of beads.
Ovals are sometimes applied vertically to the hem or neckline of a garment.
Rectangle: Slightly puffy rectangles, usually made of ceramic, plastic or glass, rectangle beads add an unusual form to the usually rounded edges of beads.
Also made in a "square" version, rectangles or squares become diamonds if their holes are drilled from corner to corner.
Tube:In all sizes from tiny tubes the size of grains of rice up to tubes as large as ziti pasta, tube beads are streamlined, but take up a lot of visual space when strung.
Rice:Similar in size to tubes, rice beads are shaped more like an actual grain of rice.
They are tapered ever so slightly at the ends, just like the real thing.
These are only a few of the many different shapes and styles of beads in use today and throughout history.
Copyright Sharon Shares, 2011
They are combined in an infinite variety of designs, or featured as a single specimen.
Beads decorate everything from clothing to household objects, including burial clothing in ancient cultures.
Although by no means an exhaustive list, following is a sampling of some of the most-used shapes of beads.
Keep in mind that local custom, artisans, and materials may dictate the shape of the beads used in the ancient world.
In the modern world, new and old beads are still widely bought and sold.
Artisans, jewelers, hobbyists, and cottage-industry craftspeople create beaded items in great numbers.
The public eagerly buys their products and continues to support the industry with their patronage.
Seed:Usually made of glass, but sometimes made of plastic, seed beads are the tiny, usually translucent beads used by Native Americans for their detailed beadwork.
Seed beads are also used by jewelry-makers to weave or sculpt into earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.
Round: A popular shape for the millefiori beads of Venice, round beads are simply spheres drilled through with a hole for stringing.
Round beads made of precious or semi-precious stones are usually faceted, but not always.
More common gemstones are sometimes, but not usually, faceted.
Rondelle: Disk-shaped and predominantly used as spacers, rondelles help transition from one type of bead to another, or they break up a vast expanse of like beads.
One popular form of a rondelle is a line of crystals on its edge, which is the only part visible when strung.
Oval:Similar to rounds, oval beads are simply an elongated circle, tapered at each end.
The hole is drilled through the long axis of the bead.
They occupy a lot of space on a string of beads.
Ovals are sometimes applied vertically to the hem or neckline of a garment.
Rectangle: Slightly puffy rectangles, usually made of ceramic, plastic or glass, rectangle beads add an unusual form to the usually rounded edges of beads.
Also made in a "square" version, rectangles or squares become diamonds if their holes are drilled from corner to corner.
Tube:In all sizes from tiny tubes the size of grains of rice up to tubes as large as ziti pasta, tube beads are streamlined, but take up a lot of visual space when strung.
Rice:Similar in size to tubes, rice beads are shaped more like an actual grain of rice.
They are tapered ever so slightly at the ends, just like the real thing.
These are only a few of the many different shapes and styles of beads in use today and throughout history.
Copyright Sharon Shares, 2011
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