Beads - Definition and Overview

A bead is a small, decorative object that is pierced for threading or stringing.

Beads range in size from under a millimeter to over a centimeter. Glass, plastic, and stone are probably the most common materials, but beads are also made from the seeds of the Bead tree, and also from bone, metal, resin, wood, clay, felt, paper, and other materials.

Beadwork is the craft of making things with beads.

Types of beads include:

• Anal beads
• Baily's beads
• Chevrons
• Fire-polish beads
• Millefiori
• Pressed glass beads
• Seed beads
• Slave beads

See also

• magatama
• Ferrite bead