Jewelry 101: Seed Bead Sizes

Seed beads are the small glass beads people use in intricate beadweaving projects. They come in various sizes which vary slightly by manufacturer, but in general, the larger the number, the smaller the bead. One of the most common sizes is size 11. If you look at the wall of seed beads at your local bead store, there will probably be more size 11 beads than anything else (if your local bead store is anything like mine, anyway). As the number gets bigger, the bead gets smaller. Size 12, 13, 14, and 15 are fairly easy to find, and although sizes smaller than 15 exist, they are not nearly as common. In my experience using seed beads, you need an extremely small needle or very find beading wire to work with size 14 and smaller seed beads. Size 15 beads are maybe half the size of 11s. As the number gets smaller, the bead gets larger. Size 8 and 6 are common sizes. A size 6 bead will be much larger than a size 11, with size 8 being somewhere in between. Combining different size beads in a beadweaving project can create very interesting textures. I used to make bracelets and necklaces using peyote stitch (a kind of needle and thread method of weaving seed beads together) and by using a variety of beads from size 8 down to size 15, I was able to get interesting textures and sculptural details on my beaded fabric.