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Delicas Beads, Sometimes Mistakenly Called Seed Beads, Are Cylindrically Shaped Glass Beads Produced By World Renowned Miyuki.
Delicas are a specific bead made by world celebrated Miyuki, Japan's oldest seed bead manufacturer. They are shaped like a cylinder with a big hole that provides room for several passes of thread through each bead and are available in a vast array of colors and finishes.
Size 11 is the most popular size of the Delica beads with 944 selections of colors, finishes and treatments in the round cylinders plus another 55 in the hex cuts, which are hexagon shaped cylinders. The diverse variations are produced by particular glass treatments. There is basic transparent glass, basic opaque glass, and etched glass for a matte or semi-matte effect. Then there are the many different colored glasses.
Additionally there is a variety of finishes or treatments. "Treatment" means something that is done on the surface of the glass and can be on the top, at times within the hole and sometimes one finish on the top and a different finish in the hole. Treatments may be made up of a clear "rainbow" or "aurora borealis" finish, a "pearl" finish, colored dyes, as well as an array of metal coatings such as precious metals. Some Delica beads have more than one treatment applied to them in order to result in the desired effect.
Note that there are some durability issues with a number of the finishes like the dyed or galvanized beads. The best shops will be able to provide you with the durability data.
Miyuki also makes a size 10 Delica that is a little larger, a size 8 that is much bigger than the size 11, and a size 15 that is a lot smaller. The size 10 and 15 are quite new and therefore don't come in as as big a variety of colors and finishes as the size 11.
Miyuki's Delica beads are of very high quality and therefore they cost more. You should purchase them from a reliable bead supplier that sells the authentic article. Be aware that some suppliers have been known to obtain less expensive, lower quality beads from another producer and pawn them off as Delicas. Also be very wary if you are tempted to buy at an on-line auction.
If you are getting your beads to finish a pattern that gives you the Delica number, for example DB-010, you shouldn't have a problem because every color has a number. But if you are getting your beads by description you could have a problem, due to the fact that there is not a standard color description for each bead. The reason is that the Japanese description does not translate readily into English and the different importers each have their own interpretation. So it's always best to go by the DB- number.
True Delica beads are a superb choice in any Loom, Peyote or Brick beadwork due to the fact that they are so regular. They make any pattern line up perfectly and give a clean, crisp finish to your beadwork. There are fewer culls when you are working and therefore they are more cost effective than their price might indicate. And the color and finish selection is superb!
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