European Bead Production - stringing technique.

Bead makers in Bohemia since the days of the Austrian Empire have grouped their pressed beads in

quantities known as a mass. A mass is 1,200 beads.

When preparing beads for sale (export) the customer usually wanted them strung for purposes of

resale, so the factory would specify to the cottage based stringers that the beads be strung in strands

of 50 beads per strand (if the size of the beads were 3mm or 4mm) then bundled in 2 hanks of 12

such strands, each 600 beads, to equal 1,200 beads, which is a mass. One bundle of 12 strands (600

beads) would be a ½ mass.

If the beads were size 6mm or 8mm round then the strands were 25 beads per strand and grouped together in hanks of 12 strands equaling 300 beads (1/4 mass). All four ¼ masses were then bundled together into a mass of 1,200 beads.

If the size of the beads were 10mm, 12mm, or 14mm, the same system was used, but in strands of 10 beads bundled into hanks of 12 strands equaling 120 beads, then 10 bundles would equal 1,200 which is a mass. Any size larger would be sold loose.

The bead stringers used white cotton thread to string the beads on and left a substantial length on both ends before tying both top and bottom of all 12 strands to secure the hank. The knots would be fairly loose so the hank could be untied easily for easy processing for individual strand sale. Each

hank would then be tied together into masses.

When the Sudeten German bead makers were expelled from Czechoslavakia in 1945 the Czechs

continued this system up to the present day, if requested.

In Germany, the expelled Sudeten German beadmakers started up business in NeuGablonz and this time instead of stringing beads with thread (because they had no cheap labor force) they began packing loose beads into envelopes of paper in quantities of 1000 beads, basically imitating the

jewelry industry which calls these envelopes briefkes.

Sometime around 2000 things started to change in the Czech Republic with the bead stringers changing the cotton thread for fishing line, and combining single strands of beads with a loop on top into hanks of 12 strands. The strands could be 25 beads a strand or 50 beads, thereby following the old formula of ¼ mass or ½ mass. Sometimes the strands were 8 inches long, with no quantity specified. The stringers were willing to do whatever the factory told them, based on whatever the

customer told the factory.This was because large craft chains started moving away from loose bead packaging and into strands,

buying from the new generation of importers who entered the import bead business which opened up

after the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and Czech independence. These large craft chains did not have the capability of processing bulk tied masses of beads at home like small bead store owners did, or designers who don’t need tied strands at all, as their employees are paid by the hour and processing tied masses into individual strands and price tagged take hours of labor. They needed beads already strung separately and ready to put straight on the wall for instant sales.

The fishing line strands already had a loop to hang on a hook and hung straight down in a uniform manner.

Bead stores all converted over to this technique as it was easy to process and conforming on the wall.

Processing time was greatly reduced.

More and more, as prices increase and labor costs skyrocket, Czech beads are being sold loose, in either kilo lots or smaller, depending on what the factory offers. Some independent agents are buying from the factory then reselling to the importers themselves, in smaller quantities, who either can’t find the factories or can’t afford the larger quantities being offered. These loose packages are in the

250 to 100 gram quantities. Some resellers even go as far as to tube their beads like Japanese

and place retail prices and barcodes onto the tubes for instant processing by the customer into their stores. This type of bead is the superduo, ohs, triangles, dragonscales and the like.

The same goes for seedbeads or rocailles. From the beginning of seedbead invention until present day, rocailles were strung in 12 strand hanks approximately 24 inches long doubled over and tied off

at the top, using cotton thread. Then the hanks were bundled together in1/2 kilo bundles, and two

bundles tied together into a kilo bundle. Importers had no choice but to buy in this quantity from the factory.

Hex cut seedbeads were 10 strand hanks 20 inches long doubled over and tied at the top and bundled into ½ kilo bundles.

These formulas were created to differentiate between rocailles and hex cuts.

Charlotte cut seedbeads were tied even shorter, as they were more expensive than regular rocailles, and precious metal charlottes such as gold, silver, marcasite and copper even shorter, as in 10 inch strands doubled over.

Occasionally you can find rocailles strung in extremely long lengths and bundled into skeins.

Hundred year old Italian rocailles and steel cut beads from France were initially strung very long, then

later the steel cuts were strung in small 6 inch strands and bundled into 12 strand hanks.

Knowing how beads are strung by material, length and quantity is a big step in identifying age and country of origin of European glass beads.

Written with the help and experience of Jme Lynn, owner of Wild Things Beads.