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Why Use Glass Beads

Glass beads are very popular for necklaces, bracelets, earrings, anklets and piercing. You can also use them on lamps, head caps and tiaras, even threaded on curtains. Because glass is a cheaper alternative to crystal and more available. There are also many more shapes and colours available in glass beads than crystal - and as gemstones, they come faceted, matt, or high-gloss too. These shapes can range from simple designs like spheres, teardrops and leaves, to original and obscure forms that can be indescribable. However, versatility is the key to getting the most from your string - so buy round beads to avoid leftovers.

Glass beads are available in a variety of colours like primary colours of red, green, and clear to more sparkling colours of aqua, magenta and rose. Many are multi-coloured with a blow effect as can occur on glass vases and beakers. Glass beads, especially when making jewellery items can be mixed with other beads on the thread. The mixture depends on the role of the item. A formal necklace may incorporate a few crystal beads threaded with the glass beads to give an impression of expense and class. However, a more casual look may prefer to incorporate shells or seed beads instead.

Most glass beads are made out of matt glass, dichroic glass and lamp worked glass. These regular forms of glass beads are relatively cheap to purchase. Glass beads are available from specific suppliers located in shopping malls and internet shops. The beads can usually be purchased individually, however the cost of the beads tends to fall the more beads that are purchased.

Glass beads can also be found in rare forms of vintage glass. These glass beads are usually from Germany, Japan, Italy and Czechoslovakia. These vintage beads are usually hand made and therefore more expansive and are common purchases for collectors or customers requiring a rare piece of jewellery to be made. Glass beads, as with many other beads are usually purchased ready holed and are thread onto either cotton or nylon threads.

Glass Pearls Are Fantastic For the Price!

What are glass pearls
These are man-made and coated to give a fantastic glossy eye-catching sheen. Like genuine pearls they have a substantial feel and weight, and are cool to the touch.

Advantage of glass beads
They cost less than real pearls or gemstones and look almost the same. Except they lack the grooving found in cheaper natural pearls. They are more varied, in different shapes and bright colours like yellow, red, green and blue - as well as sparkling shades like aqua, magenta and rose. Most strings of our glass pearls are only 99p or US$1.65!