Key Properties of Glass Beads

What makes glass beads so popular and a darling of many jewelers? You might have to do a lot of research before getting right answers to that. The truth is that key properties of these beads are the ones that make them unique and adorable. They can easily standout from the rest in the market and that is a reason enough to consider glass beads for your jewelry project. In making your choices, consider the following properties to ensure the choice you make is the right one:

• Size- this is a very critical property that should be given top priority all the time. The size of glass beads varies from one manufacturer to another and you must be aware of that. Also, size can depend on the specific part of the body they will be used. For instance, those for the neck will come in different size from those for the wrist. You must go for beads of a size that you feel will not be a burden to your body. It should match well with your own body size and any other accessories that you have put on.

• Shape- this is another property that must be given due consideration. Do you want rounded, rectangular or triangular shaped glass beads? All these are alternatives that you will get in the market for consideration. Some of the shapes might be difficult to access but you must leave to it that the choice you make is the ideal one.

• Surface- the surface of your beads can either be smooth or rough. Luckily for glass material, its surface is mostly smooth but that does not mean you will never get those with rough surfaces. You will get whatever you are looking for in terms of the surface texture so don’t limit your considerations.

• Chemical- the chemical property of glass material for making beads matters a lot. This is because glass beads seem to be unaffected anytime they are subjected to different environmental conditions unlike many other types in the market. Whether its pressure, temperatures, moisture or light irradiation; the beads remain natural.

• Thermal- this is a property of glass that you need to know about when buying the material for making beads. Glass has very low thermal expansion and that means beads have a very high dimensional stability whenever exposed to high temperatures. They can withstand the pressure coming from heat which translates to durability.

• Hard- naturally, glass comes with hardness thus it can be hard to break unless mishandled. If you handle your glass beads with a lot of care, they will serve you for long without breaking. The hardness assures beads durability and it’s something to think about seriously when making a choice.

• Transparent- you can see through the glass material and it’s yet another top property that makes it good for making beads.

When deciding whether to use glass for making beads or not, considering these properties will be a good starting point. It will help you understand very well what you are going for. 

Why Wooden Beads are Popular and Preferred

There are plastic and metallic materials used for making beads but the industry seems to incline more on wooden beads. Many designers have literally fallen in love with this material. Many people keep on asking why so. Well, there are very many positives that make beads made of wood a preferred alternative for very many people. In this article, you will get to learn a few reasons why they are popular and preferred option for almost all designers.

Varied uses for wood beads

For a start, you can use such beads for a variety of projects that include scrapbooking, crafting and sewing. These are some of the tasks that beads made of for example metal will be hard to use. Wooden material beads will always be a good fallback option available for you. Then, wood has been in existence for the longest time possible compared to other materials available in the market.

As such, wooden beads have been known to many people for a very long period and that has helped contribute to their popularity that is unmatched. Most of the designers preferred wood because it was drawn from natural raw materials. Trees were readily available and there were no restrictions on their usage. Of greater significance were the properties that wooden beads come with. These properties are different because trees varied as well from hardwood to softwood.

Thus, the properties for all beads depended on the trees where the raw material was drawn from. Density, pattern and color for trees are not the same and they are transferred to beads. For instance, those beads made from natural wood come with a more reddish color as well as black. For density, the heavier the tree the stronger and durable your wooden beads will be. Once you have durable beads, many people will want to associate with that which translates to growing popularity.

Then there are benefits of using wooden beads which draw many people into having them for their jewelry. One of the benefits is light in weight. Unlike metal which is a burden, beads made from wood are not heavy to wear thus come with no burden. You can have these beads as necklaces, earrings and bracelets without getting worried of the burden they will come with. There is affordability that comes with using wood as the raw material for beads. You will come across trees every corner you cut thus are readily available.

Supply is more than demand

When you have raw materials available that easily, it means supply is more than demand and that translates to low costs. That is a big reason why many people would prefer using wood than metal or plastic materials for their beads. Ease of use is yet another of the top benefits that make wooden beads very popular and a preference for many designers. Reshaping to whatever shape you want will be very easy and even adding decorations as well as painting. You will have very easy time working with wood for jewelry beads. 

Unique Facts to Know About Wooden Beads

Facts never lie and you will understand the heat of that statement better when you are considering wooden beads for your jewelry work. Wood is just one of the materials that are used for making beads but the facts attached to it are just amazing and unique. They are what you will rarely experience with any other material. It will be very important for you to grasp these facts prior to making any purchase move for your wooden beads. They will help in the decision making process.

• Light in weight- dry wood is light in weight while wet wood is heavy. When making beads, the dried wooden material is used which means the resulting beads come with light weight. Therefore, it is a fact that beads made of wood are light in weight. There are many types of wood material used but hardwood is the common one.

• Versatile- unlike other materials, you can curve any type of beads out of wood with ease. Whether you want an oval shaped bead, rounded beads or cylindrical beads it will be all possible. It remains a fact that wooden beads are versatile and that is something you cannot achieve with materials like metal or plastic.

• Durable- wooden material is capable of withstanding very many damaging effects especially minor ones that other materials will not. For instance, wooden material will not be affected by scratches which are visible on glass or plastic materials. Unless they come under intense pressure from actions like hard hitting, wooden material is durable and cannot get damaged that easily. That is a clear fact.

• Unique properties- wood as a raw material for making beads comes with very unique properties that make it stand out from the rest. For example, wood comes in very different colors as well as texture which is determined by the type of tree it has been sourced from. Some trees have dark wood while others have light wood. Also, there are those trees which are naturally smooth and others rough in texture. Those are some of the properties that only wooden beads come with and it’s yet another fact to digest.

• Attractive- by nature, wooden material is very attractive and that is why many people prefer it for jewelry works. Actually, you might not even have to paint your beads in any color since the natural attractiveness of wood is enough. In cases where you will want to enhance the aesthetic value, wood can be painted to different colors and even change that without problems. Just count any other material that can withstand that. Possibly very few or none thus wooden beads are just unique.

These facts are so many that you cannot exhaust them. It is heartening to know that making wooden beads at home is one of the simplest tasks to accomplish. You will not need to have any expertise in accomplishing that unlike other materials where some skills will be necessary. For instance, you cannot just cut metal like that but it’s vital you know how to use cutters and many other aspects.