
as a bead importer and seller, I thought I would talk about rocailles (seed beads) and their sizes. We (Wild Things Beads) mainly sell Czech seed beads, but also vintage French and Italian. We also have a stash of Japanese. They all are measured in the English aught system. The size measurement usually correlates with the number of beads that will fit into a given inch when the beads are lined up side by side (with the holes parallel to each other). For instance, size 8/0 would equal eight beads to one inch, 6/0 equals 6 beads to an inch, 11/o is 11 beads to an inch. Etc, etc.Keep in mind this is just a general rule of thumb, as there can be variances in this measurement based on the manufacturer, the type of glass used and the bead's finish. Japanese seed beads are slightly larger than Czech, and more regular, whereas Czech seed beads are irregular.
Seed beads are classified by a number that relates to their size, such as 6/0, 8/0, 11/0, 12/0, 13/0 and 15/0. The biggest key to understanding seed bead sizing is the concept that the smaller the number, the larger the bead. This means that a 6/0 seed bead is larger in size than a 12/0 seed bead. The 0 used in the measurement is pronounced aught and can be denoted by a slash followed by a zero or a degree mark. For example size 11 can be written 11/0 or 11°, and is referred as "size 11" or "11 aught" seed beads.
This sizing number is historically based on the idea that bead manufacturers would refer to their standard-sized beads in the largest quantities as size 0 or null. Smaller size beads such as 10/0 were therefore beads that were 10 times smaller than the size 0 or null bead.
my history neediness comes out now - just bear with me. Sorry.
ABit on the History of The British Imperial System of ...The English measurement system evolved from a complex mix of Roman (12-inch foot) and Anglo-Saxon (barleycorn/field-based) units, officially standardized over centuries starting with the 1215 Magna Carta. Key developments included the 1824 British Weights and Measures Act, establishing the Imperial system, and the 1959 international yard definition .
so an inch is the length of 3 barleycorn plants in a field.


The above charts are sizing charts from a Czech manufacturer of seed beads. Originally Ornela, a state run factory during the communist era, it was bought by Preciosa after the velvet revolution. It is now Preciosa Ornela.
About the Creator
Guy lynn
born and raised in Southern Rhodesia, a British colony in Southern CentralAfrica.I lived in South Africa during the 1970’s, on the south coast,Natal .Emigrated to the U.S.A. In 1980, specifically The San Francisco Bay Area, California.

Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.