Bead

A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under 1 millimeter (0.039 in) to over 1 centimeter (0.39 in) in diameter.

For other uses, see Bead (disambiguation).

Beads represent some of the earliest forms of jewellery, with a pair of beads made from Nassarius sea snail shells dating to approximately 100,000 years ago thought to be the earliest known example.^[1][2] Beadwork is the art or craft of making things with beads. Beads can be woven together with specialized thread, strung onto thread or soft, flexible wire, or adhered to a surface (e.g. fabric, clay).

African trade beads or may be antique beads that were manufactured in Europe and used for trade during the colonial period, such as chevron beads; or they may have been made in West Africa by and for Africans, such as Mauritanian Kiffa beads, Ghanaian and Nigerian powder glass beads, or African-made brass beads. Archaeologists have documented that as recently as the late-nineteenth century beads manufactured in Europe continued to accompany exploration of Africa using Indigenous routes into the interior.^[4]

slave beads

Austrian crystal is a generic term for cut lead-crystal beads, based on the location and prestige of the firm.

Swarovski

Czech glass beads are made in the , in particular an area called Jablonec nad Nisou. Production of glass beads in the area dates back to the 14th century, though production was depressed under communist rule. Because of this long tradition, their workmanship and quality has an excellent reputation.

Czech Republic

Islamic glass beads have been made in a wide geographical and historical range of . Used and manufactured from medieval Spain and North Africa in the West and to China in the East, they can be identified by recognizable features, including styles and techniques.^[5]

Islamic cultures

Vintage beads, in the collectibles and antique market, refers to items that are at least 25 or more years old. Vintage beads are available in materials that include lucite, plastic, crystal, metal and glass.

With beads being something that's popular, people are drawn to them and are intrigued to know more about them. People like , beadmakers, collectors etc. are interested in beads in knowing more about them and doing research.

archaeologists

- e.g. rosary beads for Roman Catholics and many other Christians, misbaha for Shia and many other Muslims, japamala/nenju for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, some Sikhs, Confucianism, Taoists/Daoists, Shinto, etc.

use for prayer or devotion

use for anti-tension devices, e.g. Greek , or worry beads.

komboloi

use as currency e.g. from Ghana

Aggrey beads

use for gaming e.g. for mandala

owari beads

Different religions around the world like Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and many more had a role to play. Beads were used to carry letters, patterns, and ideas in counting prayers. In the medieval times era, it was common to use prayer beads in different classes. The materials that were fashioned to make them were stones, metal including bones.

In many parts of the world, beads are used for symbolic purposes, for example:

With beads being something that's popular, people, are drawn to them and are intrigued to know more about them. People like archaeologists, beadmakers, collectors etc. are interested in beads in knowing more about them and doing research.

Beads are thought to be one of the earliest forms of trade between members of the human race. It is believed that bead trading was one of the reasons why humans developed language.^[1] Beads are said to have been used and traded for most of human history. The oldest beads found to date were at Blombos Cave, about 72,000 years old, and at Ksar Akil^[2] in Lebanon, about 40,000 years old.

Faux beads are beads that are made to look like a more expensive original material, especially in the case of fake and simulated rocks, minerals and gemstones. Precious metals and ivory are also imitated.

pearls

After shaping, glass and crystal beads can have their surface appearance enhanced by etching a translucent frosted layer, applying an additional color layer, or both. Aurora Borealis, or AB, is a surface coating that diffuses light into a rainbow. Other surface coatings are vitrail, moonlight, dorado, satin, star shine, and heliotrope.

Tagua nuts from South America are used as an ivory substitute since the natural ivory trade has been restricted worldwide.

(Spherical brass, tungsten, and glass beads are often used in Fly tying)

Fly tying#Bead

Glass beadmaking

Jewelry design

Mardi Gras beads

Murano beads

Pearl

Ultraviolet-sensitive bead

Beck, Horace (1928) "Classification and Nomenclature of Beads and Pendants." Archaeologia 77. (Reprinted by Shumway Publishers York, PA 1981)

Dubin, Lois Sherr. North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment: From Prehistory to the Present. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1999: 170–171. 0-8109-3689-5.

ISBN

Dubin, Lois Sherr. The History of Beads: From 100,000 B.C. to the Present, Revised and Expanded Edition. New York: Harry N. Abrams, (2009). 978-0810951747.