A guide to buying Czech Firepolish Beads

Czech Firepolish beads are a must for any beaders bead box.They are thehighest quality manufactured glass faceted bead available. Wether you are buying Czech Firepolish beads at your local bead shop or the vast selection available on ebay knowing your option will helpyou pick the right bead for the right project. Let the following information help build your collection.A Brief History of Czech BeadsA tradition that has been passed on from one generation to the next, Czech Bohemian glass makers have a rich beading tradition dating back to the 14th Century. Earlier craftsman's competedmainly with Venetian bead makers.Famous for thereuse of rich colours,by 1860's they becamethe European leaders in glass bead making.It wasn't until the 19th Century, the industrial revolution thatthe Czech beading industrybecame the centre of glass bead making.They developed machines that enable pressing glass into heated moulds. Through constant innovation, improvementand perfecting this technique the Czech quickly became masters of pressed glass. Today the Czech's arein the fore front of the world bead market through therebrillance of colour and there every changing variety.(Reference the Centre for Bead Research)What are Firepolish BeadsFirepolish refers to the manufacturing process how the beads are created.The beads are first moulded and pressed. Angles are then created onall sides of the beads to createthe facets. The beads are then finished in an hot oven wheremelting the sidescreating a smooth shinny finish. This process results in a perfectly beautiful bead, but the edges aren't as sharp nor are the facets as exactly sized as machine cut crystal. Firepolished Beads shapes and sizes Firepolishbeads come in an amazing variety of shapes. The most popular shape is round.Sizes range from 3mm to 22mm, with the 4mm,6mm