Craft Beads
Things you should know about Baltic Amber Craft Beads and where to get them.
These are also known as baby teething necklace beads.
Craft beads are small ranging in sizes from about to .
Each bead has a hole drilled that is about mm in diameter so they can be strung to make a necklace or sewn on a fabric. Some folks have even put them on fine wire and made amber trees. (You can get a kit to make necklaces at
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Beads are made from Baltic amber chips that are shaped in tumblers and centrifugal polishing machines. The degree of shine on the beads is a function of the time they are left in the polisher.
After being removed from the polisher, they are sorted by color and shape. Shapes are Baroque, Bean, Flat. Some are put into an autoclave to achieve a desired color.
The polishing process reduces the porosity of the surface. So those with a burnished surface have more pores and will transfer to the surface more succinic acid (the pain killing medium) per unit time than highly polished beads.
Baby teething necklaces can be divided into two classes. Some use polished beads and other shiny objects and are made to be attractive. They are more jewelry than pain killers.
Others come closer to the original necklaces made by midwives centuries ago (strings of raw amber chips tied around the child’s neck). These consist of the relatively dull looking, but more effective, burnished beads.
Over the centuries, European midwives used teething necklaces to kill pain. Today some people, using the modern designs, are very happy with the results. Others claim they do nothing. One sage commented, “If you don’t try, you don’t know.” Our take is that midwives used them for centuries so there must be some reason.
Craft beads are sold by the gram. And, like most things, the more you buy, the lower the price.
Here are some examples of craft beads.
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Buying Beads
To see the latest information for wholesale and retail purchases, go to one of these places.
and
and
Amazon