HANDMADE BEADS USED IN JEWELLERY MAKING
One of the oldest human art forms is bead making and dates back to ancient
Mesopotamia and Egypt, where handmade glass beads were made from clay. In 1500
B.C., the traditional mosaic methods of bead making were invented. The three
major eras of glass bead making occurred in Egypt, Rome and the Eastern
Mediterranean. The most famous glass bead making era developed in Venice ? with
the making of the famous Murano glass beads.

One of the earliest forms of glass bead making is the wound method. This begins
by heating glass at a temperature that makes the glass easy to work with. It is
wound around a steel wire in ancient times; the bead is shaped with the
manipulation of wood, graphite, steel, or other tools. Often, the bead is
further decorated with items such as coloured glass.

During the Roman period of bead making, glass working centres were located
throughout the Roman Empire. One of the most significant bead making methods was
drawn glass this came about with the invention of the blow pipe. This was used
to make drawn beads, the process is accomplished by pulling a strand from a
gather of glass so as to create a bubble in the centre of the strand which
serves as the bead's hole. This new method proved to be a lot faster and cheaper
in making mass beads than the wound method before it. An artisan that was
employing the pipe method was also able to expand a bead from the inside ?
eliminating the amount of glass needed as opposed to the other methods. These
refined methods of glass bead making allowed artisans to produce more glass
beads during the 1st century

Perhaps the most well known era of glass making took place in Venice. Glass
making had been going on for some time in Venice, but in the 1200's glass making
industry was centralized to the island of Murano in an effort to reduce the risk
of fire to the city and to protect the guarded secrets of glassmaking. Venice
took its glass making industry so seriously, glassmaker could face death for
revealing their secrets or attempting to start a business elsewhere. During this
time, glass bead making experienced a huge boom

To achieve the brilliant colours of Murano's famous beads, a glass maker must
conduct the mixing of chemical compounds with extreme accuracy. For instance,
aquamarine is accomplished through the use of copper and cobalt. The use of gold
as a colouring agent is required to produce ruby red. Specific materials are
used by the glass maker to create Murano's amazing coloured beads.

If it was not for these artisans we would not have the huge array of stunning
handmade beads that are available to us today. These beads are used to create
stunning handmade jewellery designs. Beaded fashion bracelets, designer beaded
earrings and beautiful handmade beaded necklaces are all made from these
beautiful unique beads. These beads are available to use now in dozens of
stunning colours and many different sizes and shapes. There are many designers
that use these beads in there designs but there is one that makes the most
beautiful designs in beaded earrings, beaded bracelets and stunning beaded
jewellery. www.jade-jewellery.co.uk offers some of the most beautiful designs
that are available to buy online. These are all in limited edition designs and
one off pieces. Each beautiful piece has been lovingly crafted by hand in
designs that show these beads to their best advantage.