You’re curious about which wood beads are good for your DIY jewelry? The answer is: Ebony Beads, Graywood Beads, Rosewood Beads. This article will list the different types of wood beads to make your decision easier and will give you some guidelines on how to choose which wood beading material is best for creating jewelry. 

Types Of Wood Beads

Here you’ll find an overview of each type below. All wood beads are a natural and organic material. 

• Ebony Beads: 

Ebony is the most durable wood in the world, with a hardness higher than steel, but it can be polished into a deep black sheen. It is also very dense and highly lustrous, making it perfect to use for beadwork or carving. Ebony beads are black, so they have a deep and rich appeal. They provide an elegant feel as well as the ability to make any project look more high-end. Its best feature is its beautiful grain patterns and colors.  It’s fairly heavy so it looks particularly good with chunky jewelry and necklaces. You should avoid using ebony beads in bracelets or earrings as they tend to scratch easily.

• Graywood Beads: 

Graywood, also referred to as “Coffee Wood,” is a hard, light brown-colored wood with a grain similar to mahogany. It has the characteristic of absorbing moisture rather quickly, which makes it perfect for carving and sanding. The beads’ small size is appropriate for intricate beadwork projects. Graywood beads have a striking dark-gray color and a light, smooth texture that’s easy to work with when stringing your beads together for jewelry designs. 

• Rosewood Beads: 

Also known as tulip poplar, rosewood is a medium brown wood that contains a fine grain design. It is commonly used in crafting spoons and other utensils as well as in beadwork projects. Rosewood beads are ideal for intricate beadwork projects because they are easy to carve and manipulate. This seasoned timber has been used as a traditional decorative element since ancient times, featuring coastal rosewood trees that produce gorgeous chestnut-colored grains on their silvery brown bark. 

You can get these wooden beads for making your DIY jewelry at the bead stores near you or you can check them on the online stores like Dream of Stones. 

What Are The Characteristics Of A Wooden Bead?

The following are some of the characteristics you should look for when trying to identify a real bead:

• The beads are smooth and feel nice to the touch

• There is a slight sweet odour when you put them up to your nose.

• There is no cracking or splitting of the bead when you pinch it a little bit with your fingers

• The bead should have a slightly glossy surface 

How To Tell If The Wood Is Real And Not Just A Plastic Imitation? 

Determining the authenticity of wooden beads is not difficult. There are a few good points to look out for:

1. Check Out The Color. 

The color of the natural wood varies depending on its origin. Brazilian hardwood beads tend to be slightly darker than others. If you rub the bead with sandpaper, you will see that it has more color variation than its fake counterparts. 

2. Check The Texture. 

Real wood has a nice grain pattern and some natural flaws that are actually unique and attractive features. Imitation beads are usually smooth and shiny, often with no defects at all in the wood grain or the surface.

3. Check Out The Smell. 

This is often a good indicator of what is truly natural and not artificial so you can be sure your beads are real as well as organic.

4.  Check For The Cracks.

Looking for cracks or splits when you bend the bead between your fingers will help to tell you if it’s fake or not

5. Check The Surface Properly.

Using a magnifier is an excellent way to examine a bead’s surface closely before buying. Please note that it is almost impossible to tell if a bead is fake by just looking at it. As technology advances, bead merchants are able to imitate beads more and more closely, making it difficult to find a real bead. It is usually only when you put the rosewood beads next to another real one can you tell the difference.

How Are Wood Beads Made?

Wood beads come from naturally fallen trees. When trees fall, the branches and trunks are logged by commercial loggers into a chipper. These chippers shred the logs to make it easier to process the wood into materials such as particleboard or wooden flooring. This shredded material is called the pulp. The pulp is then sawdust or fiber that can be made into many substances but usually paper, particle board, or other wood-related items. The wood itself is then turned into wooden beads by a toy manufacturer. They use machines to cut the wood into tiny uniform shapes and sizes. This is then painted and boiled with chemicals to make them polished and smooth before being sold in stores to be used for jewelry projects.

How To Care For Wooden Beads? 

You can find wooden beads with companies like Dream of Stones that offer these beads at affordable prices. You may find that the wooden beads start to change in color over time, getting darker or losing their natural shine. To prevent this, you probably will want to use only a small amount of liquid dish soap and freshwater when washing off the beads. Use a soft cloth to wipe off any excess dirt or grit from the beads so they don’t scratch each other while you are stringing them together. If you want your wooden beads to last a long time, keep them out of direct sunlight as this can cause the wooden material to fade over time. 

It is best to keep your wooden beads in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Wooden beads like graywood beads that are exposed to heat and moisture are likely to show signs of color change and fading. If you want wooden beads that have been carved into animal shapes, you should be careful not to knock them over as this can split or crack them easily. This will lead to the loss of the entire bead rather than just a portion of it.