Bead

The manufacture of these beads requires a large glass furnace and annealing kiln. The success of the E36 in addition to the "quality" and "fun to drive" aspects of the platform gave BMW a strong market identity and presence for many. They are made using traditional glassworking techniques from Italy that are more often used to make art glass objects. Against other competititors, the E36 would repeatedly beat out the competition and won many awards from major car magazines. Furnace glass are a special type of art bead. Sales for 3 Series coupes, sedans, and convertibles were at all time highs in North America and Europe. Magatama are traditional Japanese beads, and cinnabar was often used for beads in China. Among most BMW enthusiasts, the E36 platform was among the most popular of BMW design of the past 20 years.

Rudraksha beads are customary in India for making Buddhist and Hindu rosaries (malas). A modified version of the E36 platform (sometimes called the E36/7) was used for the BMW Z3 roadster. Other ethnic beads include Dzi beads and African brass beads. Ostensibly due to slow US sales of the E36/5 Compact, the E46 Compact was not sold in the United States. Other beads considered trade beads are those made in Africa, by and for Africans, such as Kiffa beads. In the United States market the car was sold as the 318ti and was equipped with a 1.8 L, 139 bhp M44B19 engine and was priced at USD23,000. Precious metals and ivory are also imitated. This platform is often referred to as the E36/5.

Often beads are made to look like a more expensive original material, especially in the case of fake pearls and simulated rocks, minerals, and gemstones. BMW made an entry level version of the E36 called the 3 Series Compact, a three-door hatchback. Styles and colors go in and out of production, so vintage cuts and colors are often prized with a similarly associated price tag. Each model is followed by its particular engine. They are a high-lead crystal, have an incredible sparkle and clarity, and are often multi-faceted to resemble gemstones. . Swarovski crystal beads are also prized by hobbyists. E36 is considered the performance benchmark in its class.

Chevron beads are a specific, historically important type of trade bead. It laid strong foundation to the success BMW E46 experienced in subsequent years. Trade beads are various types of beads made in Europe specifically to be used in the slave trade and other trading in Africa. E36 experienced enormous success in the market. Pressed glass beads are formed by pressing the hot glass into mold to give the bead its shape. The M3 was produced as an E36 from 1995-1999 in the US, and 1993-1999 in the European market. Millefiori beads are made with mutiple canes of glass fused together to make an all-over flower pattern. It is the sucessor of the BMW E30 in 1992 but was officially replaced by the BMW E46 in 1999.

When the base bead has been formed, other colors of glass can be added to the surface to create many designs. The E36 automobile platform was the basis for the 1992 through 1999 BMW 3 Series models. Lampwork beads are made by using a torch to heat a rod of glass and spinning the resulting thread around a metal rod covered in bead release. M3 (1995-1998; convertible and sedan added to lineup 1997) M50B30. The beads are glazed in a red hot oven after being machine faceted. 328i, 328is, 328ic (1996-1998) M52B28. The pattern of facets is always the same and the resulting bead is somewhat oval in the larger sizes. 325i, 325is, 325ic (1992-1995) M50B25.

They are popular in jewelry and come in sizes from 4mm to 15 mm. 323i, 323is, 323ic (1996-1998) M52B25. Fire-polished beads are faceted glass beads from the Czech republic. 318ti (1996-1998) M44B19. They are composed of many consecutive layers of colored glass which are then cut to show the resulting chevron pattern. 318ti (1994-1996) M42B18. Chevron Beads are special glass beads, originally made for the slave trade in Africa by glassmakers in Italy. 318i, 318is, 318ic (1992-1995) M42B18.

Seed beads used by craftspersons should not be confused with Seed Beads™: laboratory-grown beads made of PTFE used to generate seeds of protein crystals. 325ti (1996-1998) M52B25. There are also good seed beads from France that are available in historic "old-time" colors and are popular for use in repairing or replicating antiquities. 318ti (1996-1998) M44B19. Japanese seed beads are more uniform than the Czech ones and have larger holes for the same size of bead. 318ti (1994-1996) M42B18. Most of today's good quality seed beeds are made in Japan or the Czech Republic. 318tds (1995-1998) M41D17.

These are called "the most brilliant of all seed beads". 316ti (1994-1998) M43B16. Charlotte cuts are seed beads that have a single facet per bead to add sparkle. 328iT (1995-1998) M52B28. There are now 3 versions of cylinder beads:. 325tds (1995-1998) M51S. Rows and columns in weaving line up more uniformly, so pattern work comes out more accurate and even. 325iT (1996-1998) M52B25.

Because the ends are flat instead of rounded, work created with cylinder beads has a flat, smooth texture. 320iT (1995-1998) M52B20. Unlike regular rounded seed beads, the cylinder beads are quite uniform in shape and size and have large holes for their size. 318tds (1995-1998) M41D17. During the last decade, a new shape of Japanese seed beads, the cylinder bead, has become increasingly popular. 318iT (1995-1998) M43B18. Many of the tubed beads you see hanging in the craft stores are stamped with their name on the bottoms, indicating both a wholesale and retail packaging setup. 316iT (1998) M43B16.

Toho, the other major Japanese supplier, seems to have a more flexible packaging policy. M3 (1996-1998) S52B30. To accommodate the average "wholesale" customer, whether it be a bead shop or designer, some larger distributors have made deals to receive their wholesale packages of beads in smaller (50 to 250 gram) pre-packaged sizes. M3 (1994-1996) S50B30. One major supplier, Miyuki, sells factory packages which contain up to 1 kg of beads, and are almost always repackaged into tubes or other containers for retail sale. 328ic (1995-1998) M52B28. Thus, a 250 gram wholesale package would fill 25 tubes -- a bit more than the average beader would need. 320ic (1994-1998) M52B20.

Standard Japanese seed beads are usually sold in approximately 10 gram tubes. 320ic (1993-1994) M50B20. More expensive beads may be sold in 2.5 or 5 gram units. 318ic (1994-1998) M43B18. Most Japanese seed beads are repackaged for retail sale in manageable quantities based on price codes. M3 (1992-1995) S50. Japanese beads are sold by gram weight, never by the hank, despite some seller claims on eBay. 328is (1995-1998) M52B28.

As the steel dies wear eventually, they are replaced. 328i (1995-1998) M52B28. Manual and automatic machinery is in use in the Czech Republic. 325i (1992-1995) M50B25. Seed bead machinery uses glass rods softened to a red heat, fed into a steel die stamp that forms the shape of the bead with a reciprocating needle that forms the hole. 323i (1995-1998) M52B25. Glass rods made with concentric layers of color or stripes of color can be used to make patterns of color in seed beads. 320i (1992-1998) M52B20.

An exterior coating of a metallic film adds a lustre to seed beads called "AB" - Aurora Borealis. 320i (1992) M50B20. Linings of pink or blue are also common. 318is (1996-1998) M44B19. Transparent seed beads benefit from lining the interior hole in silver, gold, copper. 318is (1992-1996) M42B18. The color of the bead can be transparent or opaque. 316i (1993-1998) M43B16.

Examples of true black glass are circulating in jewelry pieces made to comemerate the funeral of Queen Victoria. M3 (1995-1998) S52B30. The receipe for a true black glass was lost during World War I, and modern black glass held to sunlight is a deep purple. M3 (1994-1995) S50B30. Formulas for different colors of glass are closely guarded. 328i (1994-1998) M52B28. The color glass rods are produced from a larger mass melt of some 10 metric tons. 325tds (1993-1998) M51S.

The excess glass is recycled to form new rods. 325td (1991-1998) M51D25. The beads are produced in the Czech Republic using a 10 kilogram rod of color glass. 325i (1996-1998) M52B25. A production run of a custom made seed bead is 8 kilograms. 320i (1994-1998) M52B20. Purchasing Czech beads by the hank is usually a better value than the repackaged beads by far. 320i (1991-1994) M50B20.

A hank of size 2 bugles or size 11 seed beads generally weighs between 30 and 40 grams, depending on manufacturing variations, coatings or linings. 318tds (1994-1998) M41D17. Not every 20 inch strand of size 11 beads weighs the same. 318iS (1996-1998) M44B19. When Czech beads are repackaged, they are usually sold by the gram, which creates some confusion on how many beads come on a hank. 318iS (1992-1996) M42B18. They are very often repackaged into tubes, bags, or other containers for retail sale, in quantities varying from 5 grams to 40 or more grams. 318i (1993-1998) M43B18.

Czech seed beads are sold from the factories by the hank. 318i (1990-1993) M40B18. Some vintage 18/0 hanks have had 10 strands of 8-10 inches (200 to 250 mm) each. 316i (1993-1998) M43B16. For example, Charlotte size 13/0 cut beads are generally on short hanks, containing 12 twelve-inch strands. 316i (1990-1993) M40B16. Different hanks (age, type, size) have had from 8 to 14 strands, and lengths have varied from 8 to 20 inches per strand.

Different sizes and types of beads may be sold in hanks which have different numbers and lengths of strands. There are usually 12 strands of 20 inches of strung beads in each modern hank of 11/o beads. A hank is unit bundle of strands of seed beads or bugle beads. Seed beads are sold either by "hank" or by gram weight.

. Unfortunately online verdors will typically not explain the correlation between size numbers and aughts and millimeters. Size numbers are also used. The origin of the name is debatable.

The term "aught" refers to how many beads can fit into a standard unit. The most popular seed bead size is 11/0 ("eleven-aught"), but sizes range from 22/0 (believed to be the smallest) to 6/0 or 5/0 (the largest). Larger seed beads are used in various fiber crafts for embellishment, or crochet with fiber or wire. They may be used for simple stringing, or as spacers between other beads in jewelry.

Usually rounded in shape, seed beads are most commonly used for loom and off-loom bead weaving. "Seed Bead" is a generic term for any small bead. Seed Beads are uniformly shaped, spheroidal beads ranging in size from under a millimetre to several millimetres. .

Types of decorative beads include:. fabric, clay). Beads can be woven together with specialized thread, or adhered to a surface (e.g. Beadwork is the craft of making things with beads.

Glass, plastic, and stone are probably the most common materials, but beads are also made from bone, horn, ivory, metal, shell, pearl, coral, gemstones, polymer clay, metal clay, resin, synthetic minerals, wood, ceramic, fiber, paper, and the seeds of the Bead tree. Beads range in size from under a millimeter to over a centimeter in diameter. As an alternative to piercing, plastic beads may be Moulded Onto a Thread during manufacturing; these MOT beads are often used for the throw necklaces worn at Mardi Gras. A bead is a small, decorative object that is pierced for threading or stringing.

Aiko - an all new, extremely precise bead made by Toho, and introduced in 2005. Treasures (formerly Antiques) made by Toho. Delicas® made by Miyuki. Trade beads or Slave beads.

Seed beads. Pressed glass beads. Millefiori beads. Lead crystal beads.

Lampwork beads. Furnace glass beads. Fire-polished beads. Faux natural beads.

Ethnic beads. Dichroic beads. Cloisonné beads. Chevron beads.