Seed Bead Origins
To begin this journey of sharing about some of the beads
used at Beech Designs- we focus on glass Czech seed beads.
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| Beech, G. "A Bit About The Bead". 9.2023 |
What are seed beads?
The term seed bead are beads that are produced in a factory.
Made by drawing glass, where by glass is literally drawn or pulled, with a
hollow mass, into a long tube. Then goes through several more steps involving
the fusion between fire, sand, soda and lime to produce glass seed beads.
One type of bead is Czech glass beads predating the Czech
Republic.
A bit of history...
For our blog- speculation says the production of glass beads
began in ancient Egypt and many cultures successfully adopted the practice over
the centuries. Some believe glass was invented in the Middle East by ancient
Jews and Hebrews, in ancient places like Babylon, Phoenicia, and gained a
reputation as the best glass-makers in the world.
Glass centers were formed in
principle cities for ease of trade and Venice, Italy became one such city. By
the 8th century glass manufacturing had emerged in Germany, along
the Rhine River. And by the 14th century King Charles invited German glass-makers to relocate to his kingdom of Bohemia to establish a glass
industry.
The land offered an abundance of resources needed for glass
production; rich in unlimited sources of water, quartz, sand, and trees. In
these mountains small towns grew and by the 1400’s North Bohemia was the glass
manufacturing center.
~Origins~
The history of Czech glass beads is thought to go as far
back as the 3rd century BCE when the Celts began to produce the
first glass in Bohemia, known today as the Czech Republic.
It was the Bohemian
people that were the great force & source that contributed to the success of glass beads, impacting
glass bead production to this day! Perfecting glass bead-making techniques that
make Czech beads famous for their beauty, variety, and consistently high
quality. The cottage artisans of Bohemia were the foundation of the quality
standard Czech glass beads are still known for today.
By the middle of the 16th century glass workshops
sprung up across the Jizera mountains, eventually dubbed “the Crystal Valley”.
And from there, Czech glass makers expanded their trade, exporting glass beads
globally.
It wasn’t until the 1830’s that machines began producing glass
beads. The process of manufacturing the glass molds was both difficult and had
to be precise.
Cottage artisans
were called upon and given several molds for each bead press and turned out
beads to order for their local factory, becoming masters of pressed glass they
continue to remain innovative, perfecting and improving every form of
bead-making.
Why we use Czech Glass Seed Beads
~Diversity: color, shape, size
~Quality: uniform hole
~Heritage: Czech tradition
centuries of bead making
~Design possibilities: they are
perfect for both modern designs and recreating vintage styles
*No two Czech beads are the same. And designing with
materials that are similar, but not identical gives each piece created a unique
one of a kind look/essence/vibe.
Finishes
Here’s a look a few bead color effect finishes.
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Beech, G. "A Bit About The Bead". 9.2023
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Different bead finishes can play
into many pattern design possibilities.
Czech seed beads have beautiful unparalleled symmetry and
are featured throughout different stitch techniques here at Beech Designs.
