Product Department

Manufacturing 'Pressed Glass' Czech Beads

Manufacturing 'Pressed Glass' Czech Beads

Bead-making, in what is currently the Czech Republic, dates back to approximately 250 B.C. These glass beads were made by hand. In the 1200's A.D. beads began being made by rudimentary factories, to be sold to jewelry manufacturers. By the 1860's these beads surpassed Venician beads in quality. Also at this time the Czech people developed machinery for creating pressed glass beads. In spite of setbacks from World War I, World War II, the Great Depression and Communits rule, the Czech bead industry is still thriving.

Pressed glass beads provide an inexpensive way of making a wide variety of shapes at a reasonable cost. The end of a long rod of glass cane is heated in a gas furnace until it is red hot. It is then inserted into a pressing machine. The molten glass is quickly pressed into a mold while a needle is inserted to form the hole. Only a few beads can be pressed before the rod must be reheated. The pressed glass cools slowly as it moves into a holding container. At this point the beads are connected together by the excess glass surrounding the edges of the beads. The beads then go through two-stages of tumbling, one which breaks off the large pieces of excess glass, and another which smoothes out surface imperfections. A common shape of czech glass beads is the round (druk) shape.

4mm cobalt ab round bead

Fire Polish beads go through an additional step. After they are poured into molds and cooled, they are sent through a faceting machine, which angles the beads onto a grinding wheel. After all sides of the beads have been faceted, they are sent on a conveyer belt into a hot oven. The beads are heated until their surface begins to melt. This creates a beautiful shiny finish.

There are hundreds of colors available with a variety of finishes - ranging from pearl to metallic coatings. These beads work up wonderfully in stringing, weaving, wire wrapping and any other type of bead work you can think of!

4mm cobalt ab fire polish

There are many other shapes made in the Czech Republic, such as daggers, teardrops, magatamas, leafs, flowers, rondelles and bicones.

Sample of dagger beads

Jewelry samples

fire polish beads used to make a right angle weave bracelet

peyote weave bracelet with dagger bead embellishment