From the beginning, beads have captivated people from both Western and Eastern cultures. These cultures popularized beads as decorations for holy ceremonies and rituals, as important treasures and currency, and even used as stunning accessories. Among all other components, glass became a premium prized material for bead making because of its shining and gleaming features.
In this blog, we will have an extensive discussion about Miyuki Beads, their types, finishes, and sizes, for instance, that will help your Miyuki Beads project or business. Let’s start!
What are Miyuki Beads?
In the mid-1930s, Miyuki, founded in Hiroshima, Japan by Seiichi Katsuoka, started producing glass seed beads and immediately became a notable glass bead manufacturer. Since then, they have continued to shoot for enhanced quality and enriched craftsmanship through design and state-of-the-art technology.
Miyuki beads are one of the most well-known beads in the world of jewelry. They are regarded as one of the tiniest glass beads used to make jewelry. Their wide color selection and color effects allow the creation of fabulous accessories and jewelry. In addition, Miyuki beads are easy to combine with any other materials, such as pearls, gemstones, and more.
Why Customers Love Miyuki Seed Beads?
Miyuki beads are considered exceptional for their brilliance, high quality, and uniformity. They come in various forms, such as cylinder, round, triangle, drop, hexagon, bugle, and the like. Due to their variety, Miyuki seed beads are broadly applied in jewelry making, shoes, bags, and other detailed projects, which include bead weaving or looming.
TTT’s Miyuki Product Introduction
We understand the needs of our consumers when it comes to Miyuki beads. Generally, Miyuki beads are hard to be found since Japanese manufacturers are the only ones who provide the whole trade of Miyuki materials. Fortunately, We TTT Jewelry made our first leap among other businesses in China.
Our company is the first-ever manufacturing business in the region that comes out with Miyuki seed beads in the handcrafted jewelry arena. With over 10 years of experience and knowledge in the jewelry sector, you can consider TTT Jewelry one of the most competent and reliable suppliers for all types of knitting and beading methods using Miyuki beads. We are more than glad to provide these alluring beads and supply a thousand different colors to match your needs.
Types of Miyuki Beads
Got confused by the differences between each type of Miyuki bead? Well, you’re not the only one. The world of beads is tremendous, with new shapes being launched all the time. Fortunately, here’s a handy guide about the commonly used Miyuki beads in the market. So let’s check them out below.
1. Rocailles/Round
Although the name seed bead is a generic term applied to any type of small bead, there could be some confusion since its description can be vast, particularly to different stitching styles.
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Seed beads, also called Rocailles, have a much rounder form and soft rounded hole edges compared to other Miyuki beads. Therefore, they are greatly used for flowing stitches, like Spiral Stitch, Daisy Chain, Right-Angle weave, Netting, and Chenille. Our round seed beads are available on 8/0, 11/0, and 15/0.
2. Delica/Cylinder
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The high-quality Delica beads, also known as Cylinder beads, are seed beads that have a tubular form than the typical round shape. They are admired for their remarkable consistency in both color and size, plus they are stunning in woven layouts, which creates a smooth finish. Our Delicas are available in sizes 5/0, 6,0, 8/0, 10/0, 11/0, and 15/0.
3. Drops
You might think that Drops and Magatama are the same, but they aren’t. Instead, drop beads have a slightly tapered neck or a ‘pinched-in’ bead where the hole is placed, allowing beads to nestle.
4. Magatama
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If drop beads have a slightly tapered neck, the Magatama beads have smooth tapered necks, allowing beads to sit next to each other. As a result, they are widely used for bead weaving and stringing.
5. Long Magatama
The Long Magatama beads are elongated drops sliced on the bias, making the beads lean in a particular direction. Though these beads aren’t structured to be utilized as the primary bead in off-loom beadwork, they are excellent for adding embellishments, edging beadwork, and creating distinct designs for beaded jewelry making, such as floral or scale effects around a bezel.
6. Triangle
Miyuki Triangles are available in two kinds:
- As a standard triangular shape which is quite soft and rounded
- Or in sharp form, with a sharply defined corner.
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Whichever you choose between the two, these beads are excellent for putting texture and depth to a flat piece of bead jewelry or making astonishing embellishments on spiral stitched pieces.
7. Square/Cube
Square or Cube beads are perfectly shaped little block squares ideal for tight-fitting and locking stitches. Also, they can add angular effects to a Cellini and Spiral Stitch, and Cellini. Still, you’ll need to regard the number of beads that may protrude from the design plus its impact on the wearers.
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TTT Jewelry Cube beads come in a wide array of colors and finishes, making them easy to team with Delicas and Rocailles for beaded jewelry making.
8. Bugle
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Bugle beads are thin, tubular beads that vary in length and are great for netting, fringes, beaded drops, and spiral stitching. They can be tricky to work with since the walls of Bugles are thin, plus the holes can be sharp. What’s great is they function well in bead embroidery when it comes to geometrical and linear jewelry designs.
9. Tila/Half-Tila/Quarter-Tila
Miyuki Tila Beads are flat square or rectangular tile beads with 2 holes used to connect multiple strands in stringing and bead weaving. Generally, they are accessible in 3 different sizes:
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- Tila (5 x 5 x 1.9mm)
- Half-Tila (5 x 2.3 x 1.9mm)
- Quarter-Tila (5 x 1.2 x 1.9mm)
10. Hex
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Miyuki Hex beads present a hexagonal cut with angled edges, capturing and reflecting light more exquisitely than other seed beads. Also, they exhibit large holes structured for easy and quick threading, making them popular in loom designs, bead weaving, stringing jewelry projects, and more.
11. Berry
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If you’re seeking a unique bead design, you’d better get a set of Miyuki Berry beads. These fun tiny beads are oval with a stringing hole through the middle of the shape. Once strung, these cute beads nest together, which displays an interlocked effect, making them great for jewelry making.
Significant Difference Between Toho and Miyuki Seed Beads
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Both Miyuki and Toho seed beads are high-quality manufactured Japanese seed beads. They are also popular in terms of consistency in size and color, which makes them ideal for bead weaving, bead stringing, and bead loom work.
Toho seed beads are available in sizes 3/0, 6/0, 8/0,11/0, and 15/0. But compared to Miyuki seed beads, the former is bigger than Miyuki’s round seed beads. The noticeable difference is that Toho beads offer minimal wastage plus its round seed beads have nicer rounded and larger edges.
On the flip side, both have cylinder beads, but each is called differently. For Miyuki, cylindrical beads are called Delicas, whereas, for Toho, they are called treasures. Nevertheless, both seed beads are wonderful in jewelry making. You can even use them interchangeably for a good outcome.
Exceptional Handcraftsmanship
Each Miyuki Seed Bead Jewelry accessory piece is handcrafted with utmost care and strong attention to detail. TTT Jewelry is committed to using only authentic Miyuki Japanese glass seed beads that are well-known for their quality, brilliance, precision cut, and uniform shape.
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From start to finish, our detailed products are purely hand-made with love by our skilled and ingenious artisans, and that is what sets TTT Jewelry apart from our competitors. Our company believes that handcrafted jewelry should embody paramount design and quality, craftsmanship, technique, and perfection as the ultimate goal.
What to Consider When Buying Miyuki Beads？
Getting the most suitable seed beads, size, color, and finish will help you fashion excellent beadwork that will be everyone’s craze. Here’s a list of things to consider when buying Miyuki beads.
Seed Bead Size
Seed beads size is resolved by the number of seed beads lined side by side, with the holes facing up, in an inch space. The basic rule is that the bigger the number of seed beads needed, the smaller their size is.
Seed Bead Finishes
Selecting the ideal bead finish will add beauty and depth to your beaded craft, plus it will realize your aspired design.
- Color-lined
Color-lined seed beads have colored linings on the interior and translucent or colored glass features on the exterior.
- Opaque
Opaque beads are prominent in both jewelry making and embroidery, which have solid colors in either shiny or matte finish.
- Luster
Seed beads with a pearlized sheen finish can add a bit of luster to your craft project.
- Aurora Borealis (AB)
Seed beads with a rainbow finish, also called Aurora Borealis, are used to give sparkle to your finished craft, which adds depth to your project.
- Silver, Gold, and Metal-lined (Metallic)
These beads are lined on the inside, presenting a metallic effect, while its exterior is designed with clear or colored transparent glass.
- Galvanized
Galvanized beads are made with an unstable zinc-based treatment that provides a frosted metallic finish to the seed bead’s surface.
- Picasso
A Picasso finish presents luminous beads with a blotchy, speckled luster, giving them a natural, earthy look. This finish has an extensive range of color sorts, ranging from light yellow to dark brown hue.
- Matte Finish
Matte finish seed beads have an embossed outer part, which results in a frosted look for your handcrafted jewelry.
- Transparent
Transparent seed beads are beads with see-through colors of glass.
- Frosted Transparent
Although these seed beads are slightly see-through on the exterior, they also possess a frosted matte finish on top.
Tools
Another thing to keep in mind is that jewelry crafting is inadequate without the following essential tools:
- Needles
Needles used for beading are far different from other sewing needles. Beading needles are thin, and flexible, and come in different qualities, sizes, and lengths to fit even the tiniest bead.
- Thread
There are many types of threads or strings utilized for beading and crafting. Your selected thread will solely depend on your planned pattern and design. Below are a few types of threads:
- Nylon
Nylons are solid, durable threads that are excellently used for most beading projects. They are accessible in various colors.
- Braided Beading Thread
These strings are firm yet supple, making them the best selection for designs that need a more robust thread.
- Polyethylene
Polyethylene threads are best for weaving beads with sharp edges, such as bugle, triangle, and crystal beads.
- Elastic
If you’re looking for a quick and easy stretchy bracelet, an elastic string is the best pick for your craft.
- Scissors
Scissors are must-haves for cutting threads. This is why it is essential to look for good scissors that have a fine point for snipping or line cutting without fraying the string for a neat, completed design.
- Beading Mat
Materials like a beading mat or hand towel are essential to keep your seed beads in place. The best part is your needle won’t stick to the fabric and the beads stay high on the exterior with their thick and foam-like texture.
- Wax
Beeswax is somewhat traditionally applied to coat the threads. This is to keep your strings less vulnerable to tangling or having accidental knots.
Where to Buy Miyuki Beads Jewelry？
For more than a decade, TTT Jewelry has acquired tremendous experience and knowledge in creating the trendiest accessories. Among our jewelry-making materials, Miyuki beads, are imported straight from Japan.
Our company designs and creates Miyuki seed beads jewelry in innovative styles making them unique and distinctive. More than that, our warehouse has an inventory of over 80kg Miyuki seed beads and various colors to satisfy your needs. We ensure to provide exceptional service, fast turnabout time, and complete attention to detail in every stage of the process to ensure that we give you the best. Call us today for inquiries!
Fun In Seed Beads
Wouldn’t it be fun to create different pieces of handcrafted jewelry with tons of Miyuki colors, sizes, patterns, and types? TTT Jewelry can make things possible! Our company offers various Miyuki beads that will help you produce great crafts and masterpieces. Contact us today for quotations.