Glass Beads

There is nothing more alluring than adding the refined and reflective touch of glass beads into your jewelry designs. For thousands of years glass beads have been made and incorporated into jewelry designs by master artisans. At The Bead Chest we have a diverse curated selection of glass beads at your disposal. From our unique strands of ancient Roman glass to our vibrant Czechoslovakian glass beads and from our luminous strands of Ghanaian recycled glass beads to our captivating Nepalese glass chevron beads you’re going to have to take your time to browse our striking curated section of glass beads.

The creation and technology for the production of glass beads dates all the way back 5,000 years. Glass beads and jewelry adornments have been found in the ancient tombs of Egypt, as well as, many other archaeological dig sites across East Asia. Initially glass beads were produced by either glass blowing or winding techniques. Glass bead winding is done by dipping a rod into hot glass and winding the glass around the rod. As time moved on the techniques of glass making improved. One of most influential times for artisan glass bead making can be attributed to the 1300s in Venice Italy. Many Venetian glass bead making techniques were developed and refined during this time. The glass bead making techniques for creating glass seed beads, chevron beads, blown beads and wound beads were all refined during this period. By the late 15th century, trade routes from Europe had expanded all over the world. Travelers, traders and explorers all carried glass beads with them to use as a form of currency and the demand for glass beads began to increase. Since the demand for Venetian glass beads had inflated so much, Venetian artisans started outsourcing uncut glass to Bohemia (The Czech Republic) to be cut and fashioned into bead strands. Master glass crafters from Bohemia started to travel to Italy to work in local glass factories to learn and refine their glass bead making skills even more. Through the 19th century the Bohemian glass industry continued to grow and improve. By the 20th century Czech glass beads started being imported into countries all over the world. As the demand and popularity for Czech glass beads increased so did their prices and quality and throughout the 20th century Czech glass beads maintained their high status and demand. Artisan glass beads to this day are still in high demand!

So what are you waiting for? Now is the time to add the refined and artistic touch of glass beads to your jewelry designs. So please take a moment to browse our diverse catalogue of distinct and assorted glass beads. We know you’re going to find the perfect strands for your jewelry design and interior design projects!