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Bead Count
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| How big is a Seed Bead? | |||
| 6/0 | 3.7mm | 0.145 inches | 7/0 | 3.4 mm | 0.134 inches | 8/0 | 3.0 mm | 0.118 inches | 9/0 | 2.6 mm | 0.102 inches | 10/0 | 2.3 mm | 0.091 inches | 11/0 | 2.2 mm | 0.087 inches | 12/0 | 1.9 mm | 0.074 inches | 14/0 | 1.6 mm | 0.063 inches | 15/0 | 1.5 mm | 0.059 inches |
Seed Beads are, as one might expect, the size of seeds.
See our list of
Bead Sellers.
Most bead sites will have a links list where you could find additional vendors,
Bead Magazines
have long lists of bead sellers, and you query on the Internet at a search engine such as http://www.google.com Just remember that the words 'bead' and 'beading' are used in more than bead art. It can be helpful to query using more words (e.g. "seed beads") to narrow the search results.
6/0 (E-beads, Pony Beads) are as large as a pea: easily strung on leather, twine or fiber as thick as a shoe lace. As the size number grows higher the seed bead becomes smaller. The size range up to (or as small as) 15/0 are readily available. 18/0 through 24/0 beads appear as tiny as the seeds of the California poppy. These caviar sizes are no longer commonly made, will be offered in smaller amounts, fewer colors, may cost a bit more, require an extraordinarily thin
beading needle,
a
good light
and
magnification
and are undisputedly quite wonderful.
BEADS per Package
A typical package of seed beads (currently) can range from 5 to 40 grams, although a vendor may offer tubes, boxes, or packets of smaller or greater size, which may be just the amount you need. The number of beads per gram will greatly depend on the type of bead measured. Check the bead seller's catalog or Bead Glossary for the gram weight of their containers. There is nothing wrong with the container size varying from seller to seller; just look for the weight, or approximate bead estimate, to be clearly marked.
| Beads per Gram | ||
| Size 11/0 | approx. 120 per gram | |
| Size 15/0 | approx. 250 per gram | |
| Delica (12/0) | approx. 200 per gram | |
All of these charts are approximate: Check your bead seller's calculations, which should be specific to the beads they offer.
Remember also that you will need to cull the occasional mis-shaped bead or those with an off-center opening, particularly if you are loom- or needle- weaving. You won't find that peccadillo with the precise Delica or Toho beads, but one need not interpret these characteristics of other seed beads as flaws, only understand that bead artists commonly purchase a little more than a suggested bead count, expecting some bead personality that may need to be sorted. You may wish to keep and use the culled beads because opportunities for celebrating bead idiosyncrasies arise in free-form peyote, beaded dolls, and of course, bead embroidery.
| Grams to Ounces | ||
| 1 gram | 0.04 ounce | |
| 28.35 grams | 1 ounce | |
| Kilos, Grams, Ounces & Pounds | ||||
| 1/2 kilo | 500 grams | 17.63 ounces | 1.10 lbs | |
| 1 kilo | 1,000 grams | 35.27 ounces | 2.20 lbs | |
Hmmmmm...So you don't think you'd ever buy a 1/2 kilo or kilo? Most of us started with a small 20- or 40-gram pack of seed beads. Before you know it, we were buying a half-dozen or more tubes of beads at a time, with fistfuls of pearl hanks and quantity lots of cabochons not far behind. Ideas and projects kept growning...then, we discovered THE BEAD SHOWS! Row upon row of tables heaped with wonderous beads like a Treasure...Oh! How the heart quickens! Maybe we'll just tuck those kilo to pound conversions away for a rainy day. Or you can always look them up on a converter site like http://www.convert-me.com/en/
Seed Bead Hanks
Hanks are those loops of beads temporarily strung on thin cotton strands. They look like so many necklaces hung on the wall of your favorite bead store. Expect 12 strands per seed bead hank, although Rocaille and other cut-beads may have fewer. Again, I will refer you to the
bead sellers'
reference charts for the quantities they present.
| Bugle Bead Lengths | |||
| Size 1 | 2.5 mm | 0.098 inches | Size 2 | 5.0 mm | 0.196 inches | Size 3 | 7.0 mm | 0.275 inches | Size 4 | 9.0 mm | 0.354 inches | Size 5 | 11.0 mm | 0.433 inches | 20mm | 20mm | 0.787 inches | 30mm | 30mm | 1.181 inches |
Like seed beads, bugle beads are sold by 12 string (or fewer) hanks, by tube, by box or by bag marked by gram weight. If you are following a pattern, and the size of beads suggested, the Artist's bead count will no doubt be accurate. Otherwise, making up a sample can offer an useful estimate, make note of your findings in your Bead Journal for future works.
...more coming
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