Bead weaving is a traditional art. To prepare any sort of bead article like jewelries, wall hangings or piece of bead art, selection of beads plays a vital role. Preferably Italian seed beads are best suited for any variety of bead weaving creations, as they are even in size with bright colored and constant finishing of beads. There are Indian beads as well that are available in market along with Italian beads. But the major difference between them is Indian beads are comparably sober in color and the unevenness of sizes in beads. Hence the artisan Seetha Ben Sawda of Gujarat suggests Italian beads for the bead art creations.
To make any sort of bead jewelry initially it is very much mandatory to prepare a sketch of the jewelry that has to be made. There are huge varieties of beads weaving patterns. So once the pattern of weaving and the design of the jewelry are well composed in a sketch, weavers get a clear idea of the color combination too. Then as per the requirement the colored beads are bought from market either by the hank or by weight in grams. Once the beads are bought it is spread on an even surface and a beading needle is taken along with the thread inserted in its (needle’s) eye. The number of thread strands taken for beads weaving depends on the pattern that is selected. Usually it’s either 1,3,5 or 7 strands that are made. The bigger the strands are, it is more suitable for making torans (door hangings). It takes an experienced artisan to create any sort of bead artifact for about 1 to 1.5 hours.
The required length of thread is taken and it is cut off from the thread reel. At the initial stage of weaving a knot is put at the end of thread as a limit. And then the even number of beads is picked up from the needle and is weaved one by one. As per the design of pattern, beads are weaved one after the other rows with the beautiful color combination of beads. Thus the beads are weaved in an aesthetically appealing manner with a beautiful pattern. Hence the jewelry is made and the final knot is put after the completion of beads weaving and sold in market.
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