What is a Delica Bead?
Delica brand beads are the current bead of choice for many seed beaders. They are wonderful to work with; perfect little cylinders in tons of glorious colors and finishes. Doing Peyote or Brick Stitch with these is so much fun as they link together perfectly, making a unbeatable texture.
Delica beads are very thin walled as opposed to the rounder, thick-walled seed bead. They line up perfectly in off-loom stitches such as brick or Peyote and the thin walls allow for multiple thread passes through each bead. Delicas give curved stitches such as a Spiral or Rosette a more angular shape and give a good definition to Herringbone weave projects.

Why use them?
Delicas are an excellent choice in any Peyote or Brick project because they are so precise. They make any pattern line up perfectly and give a clean, crisp finish to any project. The beads are usually of excellent quality, creating fewer culls when you are working and therefore are cost effective. The color and finish ranges are fantastic to the point that some have become collector's items!

How much do they cost?
Bead for bead, Delicas average cost is about twice as much as most seed beads, but truly are worth it. Some colos are higher while some are compatible with seed beads. Purchased a few at a time, the prices will even out to close to what you would spend on similar seed beads.

How do they make so many colors?
Delica colors are legendary. Many of the variations are obtained by specific glass treatments - from basic transparent glass to etched glass for a matte effect, a "rainbow" finish, a metallic coating and other treatments. Some beads are dyed to a certain color or shade and others have more than one glass treatment applied to them for effect.

So what are "treatments" And what do they mean by "dyed"?
The word "treatment" refers to something done to the colored glass bead to add an effect - sparkle, sheen, rainbow effects, metallic coating or etching the bead to create a matte finish. Most colors can be enhanced by treatments and are durable but many are beautiful but will not retain their color.

Why are some of the gold and silver ones so expensive?
There are several metallic coated Delicas that seem to cost a whole lot more than any of the other colors. On these beads, the glass has been coated with actual precious metal by a method that makes them very durable and they come in a variety of metal types such as 24K gold, silver, white gold and palladium.

So what can I make once I buy some Delica beads?
Just about anything! Pretty much any design you can make with regular seed beads can be made with Delica beads. They are especially cool in knitting and crochet and as I said above, are the best for Peyote stitch. In fact, Delicas were actually invented for loom weaving so they look great in woven designs. So go buy a few colors and make yourself something gorgeous!