Seed Beads

 

Seed Bead is a general term used for any small bead. Seed beads are small rounded beads that can range in size and colours.  Seed beads are used for loom and off-loom techniques, embroidery, stringing, wirework or as embellishments in crafts. 

Glass, the most common material used to make seed beads. Most modern high-quality seed beads are made in Japan or the Czech Republic.
Japanese Seed Beads are the finest in the world. These Far Eastern manufacturers have a well-deserved reputation for achieving greater uniformity and consistency of size, shape and finish.
The Japanese beads are manufactured by Matsuno, the oldest of the three Japanese seed bead manufacturers, in Osaka, Toho in Hiroshima, and Miyuki in Fukuyama, Hiroshima.

Czech seed beads, known as PRECIOSA Traditional Czech Beads™ brand,

Czech beads, however, are a close second in quality and have a distinctly rounded shape in comparison to the more cylindrical Japanese counterparts with a large variety of bright colours.
Miyuki Seed Beads          Toho Seed Beads