Glass beads or Swarovski beads: How to choose the right beads for your jewelry collection
by Gerald Redman AuthorGlass beads, clay
beads, plastic beads, Swarovski beads and crystal beads are just a few of the
available beads out there for making jewelry. With the kind of wide selection
available when it comes to beads it’s a wonder that some people get confused
when it comes to choosing the right type of jewelry bead to use. For example,
many jewelry makers get confused when choosing between glass and Swarovski bead
items.
What
are Swarovski beads?
This is a kind of
crystal bead that is also referred to as lead glass. These beads are considered
to be a high quality kind of crystal, and for this reason they cost more than
your average crystal beads. They are cut from glass and are named after Daniel
Swarovski, the gentleman credited for inventing the electrical machine used to
cut glass into crystal. They are considered to be high quality beads and have a
uniformity in size and appearance that is achieved by the machine cut that makes
them look perfect.
How
to identify a Swarovski bead from a fake glass beads?
There are many people
out there capable of conning jewelers by passing off fake glass beads as
Swarovski beads. To avoid falling into this trap, here are some signs to look
for to identify the real from the fake. They have no scratches or swirl marks
and their facets meet at the same point because they are precisely cut using a
machine. They have no bubbles, are completely identical and outshine other
crystals.
Lead
content in Swarovski crystal beads
If you have the ability
to test their content, you will find that Swarovski crystals have a lead oxide
content of 32% while normal crystal has a lead oxide content of 12 – 28%. The
high lead oxide content in Swarovski crystals contributes to their perfection
as it refracts light in an efficient manner, which causes the resulting
crystals to sparkle more than regular crystals. It also makes them heavier than
normal crystal, which is why Swarovski beads are accepted as the finest crystal
brand in the market and are a good choice of beads to use when making jewelry
for clients that appreciate quality crystal beads.
How
does a glass bead differ from a Swarovski bead?
To put it in a simple
manner, a glass bead is a crystal bead in its rawest form because when you add
lead to a glass bead it becomes a crystal bead. The higher the lead content in
the beads the better the quality. Swarovski crystal has the highest lead
content in the world. The lead content makes crystal sparkle in a way that glass
cannot. Crystal reflects light and color in a way that glass is not capable of
doing. The uniformity of the cut also differs because the Swarovski crystals
are made using machinery that produces uniformity resulting in identical beads
in terms of size and shape. On the other hand, glass bead items do not have
this, and as a result, you will find some beads with defects such as scratch
marks and bubbles. However, still make affordable and attractive jewelry.
These are the
differences between Swarovski beads and glass beads.
Sponsor Ads
Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.