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Ceramic Beads |
Know About Ceramic Beads
Ceramic beads are basically clay beads. Ceramic beads are made from clay mixed with colors. They can either be glazed or unglazed and even stained after which they are fired to make the final finished beads. However, ceramic is a broad term that indicates many types of clay that are used for ceramic bead making.
Clay Used for Ceramic Beads
There are three types of clay that are commonly used for making ceramic beads.
Earthenware- It is the most common type of clay found abundantly in nature that is generally referred to as ceramic. Earthenware is a porus clay. The ceramic beads made from it are generally glazed to make them last longer and for providing them with attractive colors and designs.
Porcelain- Porcelain beads are perhaps the most decorative ceramic beads that are used for making ceramic jewelry. It is also known as China clay as it has been used in China since ages for making pottery and other items. The ceramic porcelain beads become translucent when fired. As such, sometime these beads are mistaken for glass beads.
Stoneware- It is the most strong of all types of clay and sometimes termed as ovenware too. As opposed from the translucent porcelain beads, stoneware ceramic beads are opaque and are fired at high temperature while making.
Types of Ceramic Beads
Ceramic Beads are extensively available in the market with their different varieties of color, shape, texture and other qualities. One can find a range of gold or silver plated ceramic beads as well as glazed, unglazed, enameled, oil on water (iridescent) and many other colorful beads. The most common types of ceramic beads include Peruvian beads, Greek ceramic beads, ceramic letter beads, polymer clay beads, and macramé beads.
Peruvian Ceramic Beads
As the name suggests, these ceramic beads were originally made in Peru. The Peruvian ceramic beads are generally hand made beads that are hand decorated through painting, stamping or by giving different textures by other means. Most of the Peruvian beads have unusual textured appearance and are hand-painted with special mineral-based pigments. The ceramic animal beads are most famous types of Peruvian beads that are used to make ceramic jewelry and in other beads crafts.
Greek Ceramic Beads
These ceramic beads, originally from Greece, have large holes. The basic shape of Greek ceramic beads can be equated with disk ceramic beads. However, the modern day Greek beads come in almost all shapes- square, rectangle, triangle. The unique feature of all Greek ceramic beads is their large holes that are ideal to be used with leather, hemp and other thick cords. Most of the Greek beads can easily slip a 2mm cord into them.
Ceramic Letter Beads
The letter or alphabet beads made of ceramic are a hit with ceramic jewelry manufacturers and with bead crafts lovers. These individual letter beads, having alphabets from A-Z and numbers 0-9 on them, are used for making various ceramic bead jewelry like bracelets, necklace, charms, friendship bands apart from such decorative items as key chains, backpack clips, bookmarks and pens etc.
Polymer Clay Beads
Ceramic Letter Beads Polymer is not a true clay. The pliable, sculptable material called polymer clay is fine particles of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) suspended in plasticizer which can be used much like the natural clay. These polymer clay beads are loved by artists and crafters due to their texture and working properties that resemble mineral clay. The polymer clay beads are extensively used for kids crafts.
Macramé Beads
Macramé or macrame is the art of making decorative textile for various uses. The textile in macramé is made by knotting instead of weaving or knitting. The craft lovers use beads including ceramic beads for making pendants, wall hangings, pot holders and many such other things. The macramé beads knotted with cotton twine, hemp, leather or yarn for macrame make the craft more beautiful and elegant.
Macramé Beads These were the most popular types of ceramic beads. There are many other beads that are made by manufacturers of wholesale ceramic beads in different shapes and sizes that include ceramic heart beads, ceramic discs beads , ceramic cube beads etc. among others.
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