Beads are small objects of decoration that are usually used in jewelry. In order to be used beads must usually first be pierced so that thread can be passed through them so that they can be joined together on a string. However beads can also be adhered to surfaces of various items such as wall hangings and sculptures in which case they would not need to be pierced. Beads can also be used to adorn personal items such as handbags and purses. They can also be found in household items such as cushions and table cloths. Beads differ vastly in size from tiny little beads that are too small to handle without precision tools to large beads that are more than a centimeter in diameter.

Please don’t get confused by the term “seed bead”. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the bead is made from seeds, which some beads are. “Seed bead” is a generic term that is often applied to any small bead.

Beads can be made from all kinds of different material, but glass, plastic and stone tend to be the most common. However beads are also made from many other materials including bone, horn, shell, ivory, coral, pearl, metal, gemstones, polymer clay, metal clay, resin, wood, ceramic, fiber, paper, seeds and synthetic materials. As you can see you are spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding what materials you would like to work with.

Beads have been around a very along time since the first known civilizations. The oldest known examples of jewelry are an approximately 100,000 year old pair of beads made from sea snail shells. Apart from being used in jewelry and personal adornment beads are also used for religious purposes, good luck talismans and curative agents.

The craft of making things out of beads is called beadwork. There are many different beadwork techniques and they can be broadly categorized as stringing, embroidery, crochet, knitting, loom weaving and off-loom weaving.

Hobbyists of all abilities can practise the craft of beadworking. The simplest examples of beaded jewelry can be created by a novice beader in virtually no time at all. Experienced beaders may spend weeks of meticulous effort on their beadwork using specialized equipment and tools.

For more information about beads please visit http://www.beadyeyez.com

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The art of stringing beads together has been known to mankind since ancient times and has been practiced for many reasons including symbolizing religious beliefs. Back in the ancient world tribes used the bones of wild animals and would string them onto fibers and would then wear them for protection believing that they would be safe from bad spirits.

As human civilization advanced beading progressed as a result of man learning how to pierce objects through drilling holes. Necklaces would be created from many objects that would include seashells, seed pods and nut shells as well as many other objects. Bead development would eventually progress with the coloring of beads. Clay beads would often be coated in enamel

The Egyptians were masters of glass making and they would revolutionize bead making as glass beads were far more beautiful and could be used to make the most wonderful necklaces. They would use glass that would come in many different colors and they would combine these colored glass beads with gemstones, both precious and semi-precious. Gold and silver would also be added.

There would be a great demand for beads and they would become a valuable trading commodity that would be exported and traded all around the world since ancient times. Many cultures would embrace beading especially the Chinese, Babylonians and in ancient India.

Beading development would also be greatly influenced by the Romans as they would trade their beads throughout the Roman Empire. This influence would spread to the Celts and the Vikings who would use beads to make wonderful bracelets, necklaces and amulets. Beading would also be embraced by the Native American Indians whose works are still used today in the latest fashions such as in turquoise colored watch bands, necklaces and belts.

Beading was and still is an integral part of Native American culture. Many Indian tribes in the Americas would train their womenfolk at becoming adept in the beading arts. A technique known as bead quilling was considered to be sacred. The workmanship and art of bead quilling was considered sacred and not the finished beaded items themselves. That is rather different to the norm in Western societies where the finished product is what is valued most and not the workmanship that created it.

For more information and ideas about beads, beading and beads history please visit http://www.beadyeyez.com

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