Popular Glass Beads - What You Should Know About Them

You might have been wondering, like how I have been lately, about popular glass beads. Glass beads in many different craft forms are simply enchanting and fascinating. In fact, I am endlessly amazed by the variety of them I encounter on the malls and craft fairs. Sometimes I can't help from asking myself, "what are the most popular glass beads?"

It's simply a question that is born out of my admiration for the varied techniques, colors, and design of the different glass beads I have encountered that adorns our jewelry, clothes, and sometimes, from furniture and various knickknacks for the house. So having done a little bit of research, I am surprised by the answers I've found regarding the most popular type of them.

Popular Kind #1: Oval and Round Types

You might have seen them adorning the necks and wrists of people we meet. Round and oval shape types seem to be the most available, flexible, and commonly used ones. As a bead artist myself, I sometimes use a lot of round and oval shaped beads primarily because it's easier to design because of its friendly symmetrical shape. No wonder then that oval and round shaped glass beads are the most common type that we see and encounter that is sold in the malls and worn by people that we meet.

Popular Kind #2: Murano Glass

From the island shore of Venice, Italy, right on its fringes, there lays a tiny glass-making center named Murano, which is popular for its Murano kind. They carry one of the most desired reputations for quality glass beads. Made through a lamp-working technique, which is the most time-consuming one in the creation of them, each and every Murano glass type is painstakingly made by hand. It's no wonder then that bead-making enthusiasts cherish these a lot.

Popular Kind #3: Vintage Glass Beads

Bead lovers go bonkers over hard-to-find vintage glass beads. Cherished for their splendor and rarity, most vintage glass beads are typically made from Japan, Germany, and Czech Republic. These hard to find treasures are mostly thirty years old and above, per bead that you find. You could just imagine how extra precious it is to wear your own bracelet or necklace that is made from vintage ones.

Popular Kind #4: Lampwork Bead Jewelry

Current independent bead artists are selling their own handcrafted lampwork bead jewelry. The design is varied and colorful. Their price depends on the technique and mastery of the artist. Not all bead artists are selling their work to the public though. A lot of them sell only directly to jewelry making companies or third-party vendors.

Popular Kind #5: Bohemian Beads (Czech Glass Beads)

Czech Republic used to be the nation called Bohemia. Glass making was introduced in Bohemia in the 1550s, but it was during Napoleon's time of having conquered Bohemia and making it one of the province of Austria that artisans began to develop more beautiful beads. Bohemian glass artists developed and increased the mass production of pressed glass beads, as opposed to Venice's insistence of hand-made but much pricier Murano beads. Up to this day, Murano and Czech types remain the most popular ones that the world couldn't seem to get enough of.

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