Buying Seed Beads - Size Matters!!

There are hundreds of different types of seed bead out there with a range of different sizes, shapes and finishes. As beads vary from manufacturer to manufacturer so does the quality of the bead itself. As a general rule Japanese seed beads are the best quality in terms of even-ness and uniformity, Czech seed beads would also be of very good quality and similar in quality to Japanese. Other beads from places such as China, Africa and India will all be of a slightly lesser quality in terms of uniformity of beads but they do look great on pieces of jewellery that need an 'ethnic' feel and are considerably cheaper!

Of the Japanese beads there are many main manufacturers - Toho, Miyuki and Matsuno would be the main ones people would have heard of. People will often have heard of Miyuki Delicas and it's not always obvious from photographs and descriptions as to why these in particular are different. Miyuki Delicas rather than having a rounded outside edge are completely flat (basically justseed beadtube!), this feature makes them particularly good for use ona bead loom as the beads will lie flat and provide a much more even appearance - although these beads do tend to be among the most expensive!!

When it comes to seed bead sizing this seems to be something that confuses a lot of people and I have to admit that it was only recently that I discovered the truth behind it all - hence the reason why some of my listings are a little bit wrong!!!

This should make things clearer!

Size 6, 3.3mm Diameter, 10 beads per inch

Size 8, 2.5mm Diameter, 13 beads per inch

Size 9, 2.2mm Diameter, 15 beads per inch

Size 10, 2mm Diameter, 16 beads per inch

Size 11, 1.8mm Diameter, 20 beads per inch

Size 14, 1.4mm Diameter, 24 beads per inch

Size 15, 1.3mm Diameter, 25 beads per inch

Delica, 1.8mm Diameter, 20 beads per inch

There are also a range of finishes of seed beads such as rainbow (almost pearlescent), opaque, transparent, metallic and silver lined and it really is just a matter of personal preference and trial and error in getting the correct seed beads to complete your look!

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