How to determine the size of beads

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

For masters involved in needlework, the issue of choosing beads and determining their size is important, since the quality and attractiveness of the finished work depends on the right materials. How to determine the size of the beads, we will tell in this article.

Why a sizing system is needed

Before, as you know, there was no large-scale production for the manufacture of beads, so there were no perfectly accurate sizes of beads. Of course, they were respected, but the batches could differ somewhat in the size of individual beads. But since the production of beads according to the classical technology has been and remains a kind of art, there were no special complaints about the size of the products.

However, in the end, the need for even and identical beads increased, and Japanese bead manufacturers, by changing the traditional manufacturing technology, improved the quality of the product, and the size of the beads became standardized.

However, it is worth noting here that the beads made in the classical technique, by definition, cannot be perfectly even, so you should not apply the samerequirements as for Japanese. The same can be said for vintage beads, especially those made in the Czech Republic.

Czech system

In the Czech Republic, a classification of sizes was developed, by which you can more or less accurately determine the size of the beads. It is usually indicated on the package.

The size of Czech beads, like any other, corresponds to its length in a horizontal position - so that the hole is directed upwards. The numbers indicate the number of beads that fit in one inch (2.54 cm). Accordingly, the bead size 5/0 means that five beads can be placed on one inch.

The most popular sizes range from 5 to 12, but in general there are 24 sizes (not counting even smaller ones, the production of which is rare, because it is expensive due to the complexity and unpopularity of the goods). Thanks to this generally accepted classification, it is possible to determine the size of the material at home, if the need arises. Moreover, beads are often sold by grams, which creates some problems, but it should be remembered: first of all, such a size system is applicable specifically to Czech beads.

Beads of various sizes, down to the smallest "saber" was known in Bohemia, and then in the Czech Republic for a long time. Manufacturers of this country can rightfully be considered masters in the manufacture of various batches of high quality. Despite the fact that their beads may be somewhat uneven, due to this, it acquires liveliness and originality.

Wrong size measurement

Sometimes craftswomen try to determine the size of the beads by placing them horizontally - the hole is parallel to the plane. So you can determine the height of the beads, but not its size according to the generally accepted Bohemian system.

For example, Japanese and Czech beads of the same size may differ when measured in this way. Japanese beads are much more even and elongated, and in the batch of Czech beads there are beads of different lengths - some are completely “flattened”.

What to look out for

It is worth noting that different manufacturers of the same bead size may differ. The same applies to various technologies for creating beads - the actual diameter can vary greatly. Now this material is produced in several countries - the Czech Republic, Japan, China, Taiwan, partly - India and Russia. All types of beads differ, of course, in quality, since Japanese and Czech beads are the most standardized, and problems may arise with determining the size of other types.