All About Beads - Cranberry

We have lots of information on beads, especially seed beads, What can we help you with?

Seed Bead Shapes

Shapes: Check out this new document showing diagrams of the shapes and sizes carried by Cranberry. Seed Bead Shapes Check out this new document showing diagrams of the shapes and sizes carried by Cranberry, Click to open as a PDF Shapes, the most common shape of seed bead is round, like a miniature donut. […]

Miyuki Duracoat, Size 11 Seed Bead, Dark Aqua Green, 11-DC5106

Seed Bead Finishes

Get ready to gain a better understanding of seed bead finishes from Opaque to Lustre, Silverlined to Matte, Metallic and AB. We are going to explain all the different coatings and glass types that make up our extensive range of seed beads Cranberry has to offer. Keep reading to learn more! Opaque Seed Beads Opaque […]

Miyuki size 11 seed beads Duracoat Dark Steel Green

Seed Bead Basics

What are seed beads Seed beads are small beads made of glass. They are typically round, but do come in other shapes, such as cubes, drops and triangles. Where do they come from Todays seed beads predominantly come from four countries. Japan, Czech Republic, India and China Japan produces the highest quality seed beads. They are […]

Toho Perma finish japanese seed beads size 11 - Electric Blue 11-pf583

Seed Bead Sizes

Sizes: Japanese round seed beads come in four sizes. These are numbered from 15 (small) to 6 (large). Most commonly used is the size 11 round bead. The number does not tell you how big the bead is but is based on the old Aught system – you may sometimes see a ° after the […]

Czechmate 2 and 4 Hole Beads

The range of two hole beads continues to expand, however the Czechmate range of beads are worth a special mention. They started with two hole tiles and daggers, and expanded in to two hole bricks and lentils. Recently these have expanded to even more shapes and now includes a couple of four hole beads. The hole […]

superduo 2 hole beads pastel aqua sd-525019

Superduo two hole Beads

Some of the first two hole beads available to beaders were called twin seed beads, as they had two hole, but were made int he same way as sees beads are. These were soon followed by superduo beads which are very similar but are pressed beads, not seed beads. The superduos rapidly became a favourite […]