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Delicas Beads, Often Erroneously Labeled Seed Beads, Are Cylindrically Shaped Glass Beads Produced By World Renowned Miyuki.
Delicas are a particular bead made by world renowned Miyuki, Japan's oldest seed bead manufacturer. They are shaped like a cylinder with a large hole that allows several passes of thread through each bead and can be had in a vast array of colors and finishes.
Size 11 is the most in demand size of the Delica beads with 944 different colors, finishes and treatments in the round cylinders plus approximately 55 more in the hex cuts, which are hexagon shaped cylinders. The diverse variations are produced by specific 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.
In addition there is a variety of finishes or treatments. "Treatment" refers to something that is done on the surface of the glass and can be on the top, at times within the hole and in some instances one finish on the top and an alternate finish in the hole. Treatments can include a clear "rainbow" or "aurora borealis" finish, a "pearl" finish, colored dyes, and many types of metal coatings including precious metals. Some Delica beads have more than one treatment applied to them in order to result in the desired effect.
Note that there may be durability concerns with some of the finishes such as the dyed or galvanized beads. The best retailers should be able to supply you with the durability information.
Miyuki also makes a size 10 Delica that is somewhat bigger, a size 8 that is a lot larger than the size 11, and a size 15 that is much smaller. The size 10 and 15 are quite new and as a result don't come in as many colors and finishes as the size 11.
The quality of Miyuki's Delica beads is very high and as a result they are more expensive. You should purchase them from a reputable bead supplier that sells the authentic article. You should know that some dealers have been known to buy cheaper, lower quality beads from another manufacturer and pass them off as Delicas. Also be very careful if you are tempted to buy at an on-line auction.
If you are getting your beads to complete a pattern that gives you the Delica number, for example DB-010, you should have no problem because every color has a number. But if you are selecting your beads by description you could have a problem, because there is not a standard color description for each bead. The reason being 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.
Real Delica beads are an excellent choice in any Loom, Peyote or Brick beadwork because they are so regular. They make any pattern line up perfectly and give a clean, crisp finish to your project. 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 fantastic!
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