Beautiful Bali Silver Beads
These Lovely Beads are a Great Option for Creative Bead Jewelers
Bali Beads can be used with great effect when designing bead and wire jewelry, allowing beautiful items of jewelry to be made without the need of specialist techniques.
Bali Beads are a very attractive option when making beaded jewelry. Not only do they compliment a variety of other beads – for instance gemstone beads; but they also are detailed enough in their own right to require minimal additional decoration. A very effective pair of earrings can simply be made from a couple of silver Bali Beads matched with a lovely gemstone bead and the smooth roundness of the gemstone bead will set off the intricate design of the Bali Bead.
The beads range in size and shape from small round beads through to large cones and other shaped beads. What defines the style however is the rich deign which features on the bead. Bali Beads are typically granulated, which means that they are decorated with small pieces of wire, tiny silver balls and other shapes. To emphasize this design the bead is typically oxidized and the raised part then polished which gives a dark background highlighting the shiny silver pattern. Whilst the majority of beads are oxidized – they are also available as ‘bright’ beads ie beads that have not been oxidized, which are a shiny polished silver. As well as silver beads, Bali Beads are also available in vermeil – which is gold plated, and this can be yellow or red gold, giving a variety of colors as well as textures.
A true Bali Bead will be made of silver. Balinese silver should have a minimum of 92.5% silver which makes it equal to sterling silver. However as these beads are not hallmarked it is very much a case of buyer beware.
Bali Beads are complimented by other findings in a similar style such as spacer beads, head pins and clasps. This means that whole items of jewelry can be completed in the Balinese style, including large and impressive necklaces and bracelets.
Bali Beads are, of course, made on the island of Bali and are steeped in tradition and history. Whilst the metal smiths of Bali have been making beads for many hundreds of years, some readers may be surprised to know that the market in silver beads started as recently as the 1970’s geared to the growing tourist market. Traditionally the Balinese people would wear similar style beads but in high grade gold.
Whilst these are an exciting option for the bead jeweler, there are a few point to be aware of when buying these beads.
Buyer Beware: This sounds sinister, however it is simply meant to remind you that you will be typically buying these beads mail order or over the internet (unless you are heading off to a trip to Bali – in that case lucky you!), and as such do you know the supplier and are you aware of whether they have a good reputation? If you are buying off of Ebay does the seller have good feedback or are there any suggestions or concerns about the quality of their goods?
Cast Beads: Some Bali Beads will be cast. This is fine – however as the process is quicker and less labor intensive than the hand crafted beads ensure you are paying the right price for what you are getting.
Silver content; The bead should be sterling silver – however how do you know? Unless you have testing equipment at home or have a very trained eye how can you tell – particularly with beads that are heavily oxidized.
Imitations: There are Bali ‘Style’ beads available, which may be base metal, or even plastic which has been plated. Again – this is absolutely fine as long as you are aware what you are buying and that they are priced accordingly.
More information about Bali and the process of making beads can be found here.
A simple, yet effective, project to make earrings can be seen here. This is easy to adapt to use a couple of lovely Bali Beads to make something really unique.
