Seed beads

Seed beads are small, rounded glass beads made by cutting and tumbling short lengths of glass tubing until the edges are smooth. They are the basic building block of most bead weaving, from simple stringing to complex loom and off-loom patterns. Finishes range from plain transparent or opaque glass to metallic, matte, and iris coatings that change how light bounces off a finished piece.

How a seed bead performs depends on more than color. Hole size and wall thickness determine how many thread passes it can hold, which matters for stitches like peyote that pass thread through the same bead several times. Uniformity matters too: beads that vary in size create wavy, uneven rows in woven work, while consistent beads sit flush against each other.

When buying, look at whether beads are sold by weight, by tube, or by hank, and check that the aught size is listed rather than a vague description. A common mistake is choosing the cheapest bulk seed beads for a detailed pattern; irregular shapes and inconsistent holes in low-grade beads make weaving slower and the result less even.