Types of Bead Necklaces

Bead necklaces are perennial jewellery favorites. Bead necklaces range in style from a simple strand of wooden beads strung on a strip of rawhide to an elegant multi-strand necklace featuring beads made of precious stones. Simplicity of material and design are most often found in bead necklaces appropriate for casual wear. The more elaborate multi-strand designs incorporating precious gemstones and metals go well with more formal and elegant attire. One notable exception to this general statement is that classic among bead jewellery – the simple strand of pearls.

Beads can be made from a wide variety of materials. Clay, wood, gemstone, ceramic, glass, plastic, resins, seeds, bone, ivory, horn and even paper beads can be incorporated into necklaces. Materials for stringing the beads can be simple cotton string, silk thread, rawhide strips, common metals like brass and copper, and precious metals like gold and silver. Beads for necklaces range in size from minuscule seed beads only a few millimeters in diameter to much larger and more dramatic ones that are several centimeters in diameter.
There are some basic styles of bead necklaces with a myriad of variations. A bib bead necklace contains several strands arranged so that the shortest strand is nearer the neck, while subsequent strands grow progressively larger as they move down the chest away from the neck. A dog collar style, which sits on the neck, may be comprise of several strands of beads all of the same length. Similar, but lying at the base of the neck, is a choker usually made of one simple strand. A matinee-length bead necklace is quite long, usually 22 to 24 inches in length, and hangs farther down on the chest.

The ends of bead necklaces are fastened in several ways. For the simplest of necklaces, perhaps a few large beads strung on a rawhide thong, the ends of the thong are knotted behind the neck. Another simple method is to string the beads on to a length of elastic cord, now the ends, and then simple stretch the necklace enough to fit over the head and around the neck. Other fasteners can become very elaborate. One of the most common is the lobster-claw fastener which utilizes a small hook of metal on one end of the strand that can be compressed and fitted into a hole in a piece of metal attached to the other end of the strand. Barrel clasps also work well with bead necklaces; the fitting on one of the strand screws into the other end of the strand.