Beads
Beads
Beads from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 or sometimes several centimeters in diameter.
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 seeds.
A pair of beads made from Nassarius sea snail shells, approximately 100,000 years old, are thought to be the
earliest known examples of jewellery.
Beadwork is the craft of making things with beads. Beads can be woven together with specialized thread, strung
onto thread or wire, or adhered to a surface (e.g. fabric, clay).
Swarovski
Swarovski is the luxury brand name for the range of precision-cut lead crystal glass and related products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria.
Daniel Swarovski (1862, northern Bohemia ? 1956, Wattens) was born to a glass cutter in the Austrian monarchy.
In 1892 he patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the production of lead crystal glass jewellery.
In 1895 Swarovski, financier Armand Kosman and Franz Weis founded the Swarovski company, originally known
as A. Kosmann, Daniel Swarovski & Co, which was later shortened to K.S. & Co. The company established a crystal
cutting factory in Wattens, Tyrol, to take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding
processes which Daniel Swarovski had patented.
Beads China
Beads on Wikipedia
Beads are small pieces of coloured glass, wood, or plastic with a hole through the middle. Beads are often put together
on a piece of string or wire to make jewellery.