What are Czech beads?

Czech glass beads are made from pressed, fire-polished glass. Two terms are important in understanding Czech glass beads. The first is pressed glass. Artisans create these beads by taking heated glass and pressing it into a mold. The glass, since it is so hot, takes the shape of the mold.

Are Czech seed beads good?

The Czech Republic has long-been known for producing beautiful, high-quality, glass seed beads that are perfect for modern bead embroidery.

What is the difference between Czech and Japanese seed beads?

6. Japanese seed beads are generally more uniform in shape and the “donut” larger, more square, and taller than Czech seed beads. These beads are cut to be precise but from time to time you do need to cull out misshapen beads.

What is special about Czech glass?

Extraordinarily inventive, Czech glassmakers also cultivated their own glassmaking techniques. Among the most significant were their unique contributions to the process of molding glass to create pressed glass beads, fire-polished finishes and mass production of their products.

How can you tell a Czech crystal?

Identification can be hard, as most glass is unmarked and labels were usually washed off. The way to get your eye in is to look through specialist books. Colour can be a clue: amber-brown and green is a hallmark combination.

Czech Glass Beads and How to Use Them

Do Czech beads fade?

They will often fade under natural or artificial light, when in contact with skin, and after laundering or dry cleaning. Beaders often notice that there are no good substitutes for these colors, which is the reason they are still manufactured even though they will often lose their bright colors.

Do Czech beads contain lead?

Most of Preciosa Ornela seed products are lead free, but some striped seed beads do have trace amounts of lead.

What brand of seed beads are the best?

Which brand beads are the best?

Miyuki is the most popular brand of Seed beads and its beads are highly consistent in color, size, and finish. These beads are made with high precision and are perfectly uniform in shape and size. These beads have a large hole which will allow you to do multiple passes through the bead.

Where do Czech glass beads come from?

Czech beads were originally created by cottage artisans.

The Czech Republic possesses a reputation as one of the world's leading glass bead manufacturers. Its success, however, is a result not of big factories and stores, but of cottage artisans. Families would set up glass beadmaking in their cottages.

Where are Czech beads made?

In general, Czech pressed glass beads are made in the Czech Republic from large rods of colored glass. The molten glass is pressed into molds of various shapes and sizes, with a needle forming the hole.

Where are Czech seed beads made?

Production areas

in the Jizera Mountains. are concentrated in the town of Desná, a valley surrounded by mountains and forests. The coloring and final production of seed beads takes place in the village of Zásada.

Which seed beads dont fade?

Matte- The surface of the beads are etched resulting in a frosted appearance. This finish is quite resilient and resists fading. Aurora Borealis (AB)- an iridescent finish applied to the surface that adds a rainbow effect.

What is the difference between seed beads and rocailles?

Seed beads, sometimes referred to as 'rocailles', are tiny pieces of glass with a hole through the centre. They come in different sizes, the most common of which are 15, 11, 8 and 6. The smaller the size number, the larger the bead… Fun fact: I have heard two different theories as to what the size number means.

What are Japanese seed beads?

Japanese seed beads are made with precision technology to have the most uniform size and the most durable colors of all the seed beads in the world. The size of Japanese seed beads is incredibly constant, with softly rounded edges and large perfectly centered holes.

How do you choose seed beads?

Seed beads are classified by a number that relates to their size, such as 6/0, 8/0, 11/0, 12/0, 13/0 and 15/0. The biggest key to understanding seed bead sizing is the concept that the smaller the number, the larger the bead. This means that a 6/0 seed bead is larger in size than a 12/0 seed bead.

What are Miyuki beads made of?

Miyuki Magatama Beads were traditional comma-shaped beads or jewels made in prehistoric Japan from clay or stone. Magatama glass sead beads are wonderful to use for adding texture in kumihimo, fringe, or in off-loom beadweaving. Miyuki Tila Beads are flat square or rectangular tile-shaped 2-hole seed beads.

Can you get lead poisoning from jewelry?

Jewelry containing lead poses a particular concern because children are prone to placing jewelry in their mouths, which can result in absorption of dangerous levels of lead. Lead poisoning is blamed for the death of a four year old in Minnesota who swallowed a lead containing jewelry charm.

Are seed beads toxic?

Abrus Precatorius

The beads themselves are safe, but piercing them can expose the dangerous seeds inside. They contain the potentially fatal toxin abrin, which has been described as chemically similar to ricin, and is a controlled substance under the Terrorism Act.

Are Czech beads painted?

Paint is used to color the bead around the hole. A metal center reflects the color of the bead. These seed beads have one of the most popular finishes.

Can you melt Czech glass beads?

Glass beads cannot be melted in a regular household oven; they simply do not get hot enough to melt completely. To melt, glass needs to reach temperatures between 1,400-1,600 degrees Celsius (2,600-2,900 degrees Fahrenheit).

What does AB mean in beads?

All beads that are AB coated are 'half-coated', which means that half the crystal is coated, and half is not. In the case of flatbacks, the entire top surface is coated, while the entire underside surface is not (it is usually silver-foiled).