Jewelry Making

Beadwork Jewelry

Beadwork Jewelry is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another or to cloth using a needle and thread. Most beadwork takes the form of jewelry or other personal adornment, but beads are also used in wall hangings and sculpture. Beadwork techniques are broadly divided into loom and off-loom weaving, stringing, bead embroidery, bead crochet, and bead knitting.

Most cultures have employed beads for personal adornment. Archaeological records show that people made and used beads as long as 5000 years ago. Beads have also been used for religious purposes, as good luck talismans, and as curative agents.

Bead weaving on a loom

Bead weaving using seed beads can be done on a loom. The beads are locked in between the warp threads by the weft threads. Although a heddle can be used as in ordinary weaving, the most common technique requires two passes of the weft thread. First, an entire row of beads is strung on the weft thread. Then, the beads are pressed in between the warp threads. The needle is passed back through the beads above the warp threads to lock the beads into place. The most difficult part of loomwork is finishing off the warp threads.

Although loomed pieces are typically rectangular, it is possible to increase and decrease to produce angular or curvy shapes. Fringe can also be added during weaving or before the piece is removed from the loom.

Bead looms vary in size and are typically made of wood or metal. Usually, a comb or spring is used to hold the warp threads a bead width apart. Some looms have roller bars that allow the weaver to produce pieces that are longer than the loom is. Most looms are meant to sit on a table, but some have floor stands or are meant to sit in the lap.

Off-loom bead weaving

Off-loom bead weaving is a family of beadwork techniques in which beads (typically seed beads) are woven together into a fabric. Bead weaving on a loom is different enough that it is specifically excluded. All off-loom techniques can be accomplished using a single needle and thread (no warp threads), but some have two-needle variations.

Off-loom bead weaving encompasses a number of techniques, including

* gourd stitch or peyote stitch
* brick stitch
* square stitch
* right-angle weave
* triangle weave
* bead netting
* African helix
* Dutch spiral

The techniques produce fabrics with distinct textures and other properties, and thus are suitable for different kinds of articles.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bead Weaving"