Seed beads are not all the same. Some are made from glass, others from plastic and there are a variety of brands available on the market today. Non-branded seed beads are great value and an excellent choice for absolute beginners. You get more beads for your money and you’re not using expensive beads for practicing with. Once you have gained a little confidence you might like to experiment with the vast range of high quality branded beads such as Miyukis, Tohos which originate from Japan. Czech seed beads are also very popular and are of superb quality.

Brands include- Preciosa Ornela, SuperUnos and SuperDuos (which belong to Matubo). The major difference between these beads and the cheaper economy beads is their consistency in size. When you become more experienced and start beading more intricate patterns, this will become an important factor when choosing which seed beads to buy. The most common shape of seed beads are the roccailles (rounds) but there are many more interesting shapes to choose from nowadays which can add wonderful texture Seed beads can be a bit of a minefield when you’re just starting out in bead weaving and jewellery making. Which brand do you buy? What size and shape will work best for your design? How do you make sense of the sizing? (which can be confusing sometimes!) Fear not! Here is a simple, easy to understand introduction to the world of seed beads. I warn you now…it’s highly addictive!Seed beads are not all the same. Some are made from glass, others from plastic and there are a variety of brands available on the market today. Non-branded seed beads are great value and an excellent choice for absolute beginners. You get more beads for your money and you’re not using expensive beads for practicing with. Once you have gained a little confidence you might like to experiment with the vast range of high quality branded beads such as Miyukis, Tohos which originate from Japan. Czech seed beads are also very popular and are of superb quality.Brands include- Preciosa Ornela, SuperUnos and SuperDuos (which belong to Matubo). The major difference between these beads and the cheaper economy beads is their consistency in size. When you become more experienced and start beading more intricate patterns, this will become an important factor when choosing which seed beads to buy. The most common shape of seed beads are the roccailles (rounds) but there are many more interesting shapes to choose from nowadays which can add wonderful texture Jewellery Designs designs. Below is a handy list of some of the top quality seed bead brands and their properties. I’ll start with the Japanese seed beads, Miyuki and Toho.

Miyuki Seed Beads

Miyukis' glass seed beads are probably the most popular of all the seed beads and are revered throughout the world for their fantastic size consistency, quality and precision cut. They may be tiny but feature larger threading(centre) holes, which allow for much easier threading. Here are some of the more popular shapes:

Roccailles

Delica’s

Delicas are tubular beads with thin walls and a larger threading hole. They are available in round and hex cut. These beads are great for achieving a neat, uniform finish to both on and off loom projects.

Triangle

Square (cube)

Bugle

Magatama’s (Drops)

Magatamas are like beautiful little droplets and are available in standard and long size. They have an offset threading hole, giving them an interesting curved appearance. They look stunning when used in bead weaving and edging jewellery designs.

Shop for Miyuki Seed Beads here

Toho seed beads come in very similar shapes. They have a slightly larger range of bugle beads including triangle bugle, hexagon bugle, square hole bugle, and twisted bugle.

Next we have Czech seed beads, which are also of superb quality. They are available in a stunning array of colours and finishes from rainbow, iridescent, pearly lustre to metallic, galvanized and interesting speckled Picasso coatings. Their shapes are similar to the Japanese seed beads, however they do carry more unusual shapes such as twisted squares, corolla (flower shaped), rounded farfalles, and twisted triangles. Preciosa are closely followed by SuperUnos and SuperDuos in terms of popularity. They are the latest Czech pressed glass seed beads to become a craze amongst bead weavers.

The creative possibilities are endless with these unusual shaped beads. They are oval and taper at the edges with a wider middle, sort of like an inverted hourglass. SuperUnos and Duos are the same shape, the only difference being the number of threading holes. SuperUnos have a single threading hole to one side and are perfect for edging designs and acting as end beads. SuperDuos are twin holed beads that can be stacked together to create a honeycombed or diamond pattern.

Shop for SuperUnos and SuperDuos here

Sizing

Seed bead sizing can be somewhat confusing for beginners but it goes like this- the larger the number, the smaller the bead. Below is a table with a universal guide to sizing, however they can only be approximate as there are bound to be minor differences with each manufacturer.

Universal Seed Bead Size Chart

Size 6

3.3mm

Size 7

2.9mm

Size 8

2.5mm

Size 9

2.2mm

Size 10

2mm

Size 11

1.8mm

Size 12

1.7mm

Size 13

1.5mm

Size 14

1.4mm

Size 15

1.3mm

Size 16

1.2mm

Size 18

1.1mm

Size 20

1mm

Size 22

0.9mm

...

Miyuki's sizing differs slightly to the universal sizes above. They also have a huge range of shapes available too. See their official size chart below:

...

There are lots of shapes and sizes listed here on these tables but to begin with we recommend practicing some of the basic bead weaving techniques with sizes 6 to 11. The rounds, cubes and Miyuki Delica beads are really great for getting to grips with basic stitches such as the peyote stitch.

Bracelet created using peyote stitch. (Image from 'Stitch Workshop Peyote Stitch basic techniques, advanced results' book)

Seed beads are available in so many beautiful finishes, from matte, glossy, pearl and lustre to AB, rainbow, metallic and galvanized. For a more in depth, guide to the different coatings applied to beads, take a look at our "Bead Finishes" guide

Seed beads are available in so many beautiful finishes, from matte, glossy, pearl and lustre to AB, rainbow, metallic and galvanized. For a more in depth, guide to the different coatings applied to beads, take a look at our "Bead Finishes" guide here

Finally, we're just going to go through a few of the different beading threads available and what makes them good for working with seed beads.

Nymo Beading Thread

Nymo beading thread is a non twisted, lightly pre-waxed nylon filament and is a good all round beading thread. One of the great things about Nymo is the choice of colours available. You're certain to find a shade to match your colour palette! It is strong and works well for on and off loom bead weaving. If you're working with sharp cut glass seed beads or crystal beads like Swarovskis for instance, take extra care as the thread may start to wear with repeated friction. Fireline are ideally suited to sharp beads. Buy our Nymo beading thread

Nymo beading thread is a non twisted, lightly pre-waxed nylon filament and is a good all round beading thread. One of the great things about Nymo is the choice of colours available. You're certain to find a shade to match your colour palette! It is strong and works well for on and off loom bead weaving. If you're working with sharp cut glass seed beads or crystal beads like Swarovskis for instance, take extra care as the thread may start to wear with repeated friction. Fireline are ideally suited to sharp beads. Buy our Nymo beading thread here

KO Beading Thread

KO beading thread is a single ply nylon thread with a flat profile which is fantastic for off loom bead weaving and embroidery. It's super strong, colourfast, resistant to fraying/tangling, and can also be tied into super tight knots. Like Nymo, KO thread is available in a vast range of colours to suit your colour palette. Buy KO beading thread

KO beading thread is a single ply nylon thread with a flat profile which is fantastic for off loom bead weaving and embroidery. It's super strong, colourfast, resistant to fraying/tangling, and can also be tied into super tight knots. Like Nymo, KO thread is available in a vast range of colours to suit your colour palette. Buy KO beading thread here.

Fireline pre-waxed Beading Thread

Fireline is probably the worlds number one beading thread at the moment. It ticks all the boxes! It's a super strong synthetic pre-waxed, braided thread which is extremely popular with professional jewellery designers for use with on and off loom bead weaving. It's made from gel spun polyethylene and is used in place of the Nymo thread when working with sharp edged beads such as Miyuki Delica beads, Swarovski Crystal bicones, cut glass and natural hard gemstone beads. It's available in two shades; 'Crystal' and 'Smoke'. Crystal is a white, semi-translucent thread which blends in really well with most bead colours as it's so fine. Smoke is a dark grey/black shade best suited to working with dark beads. Buy Fireline beading thread

Fireline is probably the worlds number one beading thread at the moment. It ticks all the boxes! It's a super strong synthetic pre-waxed, braided thread which is extremely popular with professional jewellery designers for use with on and off loom bead weaving. It's made from gel spun polyethylene and is used in place of the Nymo thread when working with sharp edged beads such as Miyuki Delica beads, Swarovski Crystal bicones, cut glass and natural hard gemstone beads. It's available in two shades; 'Crystal' and 'Smoke'. Crystal is a white, semi-translucent thread which blends in really well with most bead colours as it's so fine. Smoke is a dark grey/black shade best suited to working with dark beads. Buy Fireline beading thread here.

Jewellery Books and Magazines

So, where do you go from here? Well, we have a great new collection of beading books catering for absolute beginners and more experienced beaders.

As time goes by, we will be adding our own patterns and guides to seed beading too, so keep your eyes peeled! Happy beading everyone!