Did you know…?
Beads have been a part of human life for 75,000 years
Joyce Diamanti writes in A Bead Timeline Volume I: Prehistory to 1200CE
Homo habilis crafted the first crude tools around 2.5 million years ago. [But] they showed few outward signs of cognitive development. Beads first appear toward the end of the Old Stone Age, or Paleolithic period, when Homo sapiens began to exhibit culturally modern behavior, manifesting artistic and technological creativity and the capacity to communicate through abstract symbols, which is the basis of all art and science, as well as language, both spoken and written.
Some researchers believe this change was a gradual evolutionary process that began in Africa soon after the advent of anatomically modern humans around 130,000 years ago. As evidence they cite scattered finds of improved tools and early artistic expression, including beads that date to nearly [75,000]* years ago. Others hold these finds to be too far and few between to be significant, and argue that while the capacity for abstract thinking may have been present, it remained latent. They maintain that people began to act in a culturally modern way rather abruptly only 50,000 to 40,000 years ago, as Homo sapiens moved out of Africa and spread to far-flung regions of the world, displacing Neanderthals in Europe and other archaic hominids in East and Southeast Asia.
Beginning around 45,000 years ago, a creative explosion ensued in every sphere of human activity. The Late Paleolithic has been called the “big bang” of human culture ... Among the earliest evidence of abstract thinking, beads also express other attributes that distinguish us a human – artistic creativity, technological inventiveness, and self-awareness.
At the beginning of the Late Paleolithic beads first appeared in quantity almost simultaneously in Asia, Africa, and Europe. In a world of accelerating cultural change, beads could convey information and would contribute to that change, transmitting technological knowledge, mediating social relations, playing a role in religious, political, and economic life. Almost as soon as beads appear we find evidence of long-distance trade in materials used to make them. In time, beads and bead materials would become not only important trade commodities but vehicles of cultural diffusion.
*Diamanti’s essay states the oldest bead to be 60,000 years old, but shell beads found in the Blombos cave excavation in South Africa have been dated to 75,000 years.
Ask Us!
Q. How do I choose the right beading wire?
A. Beading wire, sometimes generally called "tigertail", is a flexible wire that consists of several strands of stainless steel wire coated in an acrylic sheath. Great developments in this "tigertail" have occured over the past ten or twenty years, and it has become an indispensible part of beading. You can find this type of wire under several brand names: Cablestrand, Soft Flex, Beadalon, Griffin, and more. All of these combine the strength of wire with the flexiblity of thread.There are four things to consider when choosing the right beading wire for your project: diameter, test strength, number of strands, and price.
Diameter: Just like any beading cord or thread, the diameter is an important consideration that relates primarily to the size of the bead holes. Diameter is indicated in inches, for instance "Fine" might be .014" or .015". "Heavy" might be more like .024" diameter. Wire between .014" and .019" is the most versatile.
Test Strength: Typically, the thicker the wire the stronger it is. "Fine" wire will usually have about a 10lb. test strength which is plenty strong for most jewelry applications. "Extra Fine" (.010" or smaller) might have a 5lb. test strength and could be too light for some projects. Test strengths between 10 and 20lbs. are the most common.
Number of strands: This is an important element. Most beading wires indicate how many strands of stainless steel wire make up the product. More strands means more flexibility or "softness". Have you experienced that surprise when you take your necklace out of a small box and it is all kinked up? A beading wire with a low number of strands is more likely to do this. So, you can have two products with a similar diameter and similar test strength, but a completely different feel because of the strand count.
Price: Number of strands leads directly to price. When more strands of stainless steel are fit into a given diameter of cording, the price is going to go up. So take economy into consideration as well. Weight the options of price vs. flexibility as they apply to your project.
Our most popular beading wire is Soft Flex, "Fine" or .014" diameter, with 10lb. test and 21 strands. A close second is the Soft Flex "Medium" (.019") with 49 strands.
Have a question for us? drop it in the mail to: Ask Us!, Mana Beads, 423 Broad St. Nevada City, CA 95959 or email it to newsletter@manabeads.com
How To…
Use “wire protectors” with wire & crimp beads
Wire protectors (also called “wire guards”, “cable thimbles” etc.) are relatively new on the market. They offer a convenient way to protect your thread or beading wire where it attaches to the clasp, making a professional looking finish in the meantime. Each end of its horseshoe-shape is tubular and the arc of the piece is a channel. This “horseshoe” is essentially the loop that your clasp hangs from at the end of your necklace or bracelet.
When you are ready to attach a clasp to your piece, and after you have added your crimp bead, thread your wire up through one end of the wire protector. Then thread the wire down through the other side. The wire will lie in the channeled section of the wire protector (the arc of the “horseshoe”). Slip your clasp into this loop and thread your wire back through your crimp bead, crimping and finishing as you would normally.
Want to see it demonstrated? Come in anytime and we’ll show you how! |
