Beads from the Czech Republic Preciosa: features, palette and reviews

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:46

Beads have long been used for the original decor of clothes, in embroidery and jewelry making. Today, its main producers are Japan, Taiwan, Czech Republic, Turkey and China. Japanese beads are considered the highest quality, but they are also the most expensive.

Products of Turkish, Taiwanese and Chinese manufacturers, on the contrary, are affordable, but in terms of quality they cannot compete. But Czech beads occupy the golden mean in this list. It has many benefits worth checking out if you are new to the wonderful world of colorful beads.

A bit of history

In the Czech Republic, beads began to be produced in the distant XVII century. By that time, the products of the Bohemian glassmakers had surpassed those of their Venetian competitors. Faceted Czech beads covered with colored enamel surpassed Italian round counterparts in beauty and play of light.

The heyday of its production falls on the beginning of the XIX century. It was then that a rich color palette appeared, a huge variety of sizes and shapes. This trend has continued today. Thanks to this, Czech beads are exported to more than 100countries of the world.

The largest manufacturer Preciosa Ornela

In the Czech Republic, there are several companies that produce products that are in demand among needlewomen. Perhaps the most famous among them is Preciosa Ornela. It was founded in 1915 and today produces more than 425 thousand items of products. A special place in the assortment of the company is occupied, of course, by goods for jewelry.

Classic Preciosa beads

The Czech Republic, as already noted, "won victory" over Venice due to the variety of shapes and shades of beads produced by it. Preciosa Ornela remains true to the traditions of the Bohemian craftsmen of the past. Its product range includes more than 100 types of beads.

It is customary to divide it according to shape, brilliance, transparency and other criteria. The most popular is the beads of the classic round shape. The palette of its colors and shades is designed to satisfy even the most whimsical craftswomen.

What is special

There are three characteristic features of Preciosa beads (Czech Republic): size, shape and coating.

1. According to the feedback of needlewomen, the products of this company are distinguished by good calibration, the percentage of defects does not exceed 8% per package. The diameter of the beads determines their size, which corresponds to a certain number (from 5 to 15). It should be borne in mind that the larger the serial number, the smaller the beads. Most often, in embroidery and when creating jewelry, they use number 10.
2. Besides the classic round shape,beads are produced cubic, triangular, faceted, cylindrical, drop-shaped, etc.
3. Durable coating keeps color consistent for decades. This guarantees the durability of both embroidery and jewelry made from Czech beads.

Glitter and its absence

Czech bead color depends on coverage. As a rule, the following types are produced:

• matte beads;
• metallic;
• opaque;
• transparent.

Matte beads are characterized by the absence of shine. It can be iridescent or with a thin silver line. Metallic beads, on the other hand, shine thanks to electroplating. It is used where it is necessary to create the effect of gilding.

An opaque bead is covered in such a way that the result is the following variations of it:

• shiny;
• rainbow;
• "ceramic";
• "alabaster" and so on.

In turn, transparent beads are divided into:

• rainbow;
• natural;
• rainbow with a silver line.
• "chameleon" with a two-color inner line;
• "chandeliers" with a single color, etc.

Which one to choose

Beads Preciosa (Czech Republic) is the first and second grade. This is what experienced craftsmen say. If the quality of the first grade, regardless of the batch, fully corresponds to the color, shade and size declared in the catalog, then the beads of the second grade according tothese indicators are slightly different. So how do you know which products are on the counter in front of you?

The “wave” on the original packaging will clearly indicate the second grade. In addition, you will not find the original label with a barcode, size and shade number on it. However, there are packages without a “wave”, however, the inscriptions on them easily disappear from slight friction.

Although the beads of the second grade are also calibrated, but their size, as well as color, may exceed the allowable deviations in the catalog. Therefore, the next time you purchase a package with the same catalog number, the shade may be different. Perhaps, for embroidery, this will only be a plus, as it will give your product an additional tone. But second-class products may not be suitable for creating jewelry.

Bead color card from Czech Republic

As already noted, the products of Czech masters are distinguished by an unusually rich palette. In order for buyers to quickly navigate the whole variety of shades, manufacturers have specially developed a color map, where each shade corresponds to a specific five-digit code. There is also a three-digit marking. It was developed by VDV (Ukraine), the official representative of Preciosa.

How useful is such a catalog of flowers? It gives the needlewoman the opportunity, firstly, to acquire the beads necessary in shape, color and size, even from a different batch. Secondly, independently select a palette thatwill most harmoniously correspond to the intended project. And there really is plenty to choose from, because the color card includes all types of Czech beads mentioned above.

Assessment of craftswomen

Summarizing all the reviews left on the Internet, the vast majority of needlewomen are satisfied with the quality and a huge palette of shades of beads from the Czech Republic.

However, among the general praise, there are also negative opinions. For example, some craftswomen faced the following problems:

• burnout of beads in the sun;
• unstable coating, causing the color to fade after washing;
• different types of beads may vary in size;
• internal painting peels off when pulling the needle and thread;
• the weight of the beads does not match the stated on the package;
• bad calibration.

Regarding the last point, it can be assumed that, perhaps, we are talking about second-class beads, as indicated above. Not all craftswomen, and especially beginners, know about this nuance.

Also sometimes there are obvious fakes. Such packages look almost identical to beads from the Czech Republic of 50 grams, only Pricesa is written on them instead of Preciosa. You should also pay attention to this.

The price of Czech beads is also considered by many to be one of its disadvantages, because in comparison with the cost of Chinese analogues, it can really seem a bit high. However, works made using original Preciosa products look much more elegant and brighter. In any case, eachthe craftswoman, having weighed all the pros and cons, decides for herself which beads to give preference to.