A Guide to Miyuki Bead Sizes and Shapes

Here's an example of how some Peyote-stitched stars made in exactly the same way can look and act very differently due to the types of beads used.

The iris blue stars are made using Miyuki Seed Beads and small silver round beads in the centre, creating a softer look and feel for the star shape. The stars themselves can be easily squashed almost flat or plumped out by squeezing in the sides.

Conversely, the salmon and amethyst stars are made using Miyuki Delicas, creating a much stiffer and more uniform shape. These stars cannot easily be squashed (in fact too much pressure would cause the stars and/or the beads to break) and are a much better choice for creating a design that you want to keep rigid when worn.

It's true! The term 'seed bead' is a generic term usually applied to any small bead, as well as being a type of bead too - that may be where some confusion comes from. However, the differences between the two are vast, especially when it comes to stitching with them.

Miyuki Seed Beads are also known as Rocailles (or Round Rocailles) and are much rounder in overall shape, with soft, rounded hole edges. Seed beads are great for more natural or flowing stitches such as Right-Angle Weave, Daisy Chain, Netting, Chenille and Spiral Stitch.

Miyuki Delicas are also known as Cylinder beads, as their shape is much more tubular than round. These beads are great for tight-fitting stitches such as Peyote, Ladder, Brick, and Herringbone. Interestingly, Seed Beads tend to be more popular for the newer Peyote-With-A-Twist stitch, as some beaders find Miyuki Delica beads to be too stiff.

Of course, these beads can be interchanged with each other to great effect - think Cellini spirals. They are most useful for helping increase or decrease bezels around Rivolis as each bead helps fill a tiny gap each time the row increases.

Both Seed Beads and Delicas are available in sizes 15/0, 11/0, 8/0, with Delicas also available in 10/0 and Seeds available in 6/0 and 5/0.

Both types of beads also have the 'Cut' variations (also known as 2-cut, 3-cut, Hex-cut). This is where tiny facets are cut onto the sides of the bead for added reflection and sparkle, without altering the overall bead size.

Miyuki Triangles

The triangular-shaped Miyuki seed beads are available in two forms: as a standard triangle shape, which is quite soft and rounded, or as a 'Sharp', with sharply defined corners. These beads are great for adding texture and depth to a flat piece of beadwork, or for creating eye-catching embellishments on spiral-stitched pieces. They can be used in the same way as the other seed bead shapes if you want to recreate a more organic and free-form feel to your design.

Bugle Beads and Miyuki Twist Beads

Bugles and Twists (not to be confused with the Czech-style Twist beads that look like twisted elongated drops) are similar in shape to each other. They are thin, tubular beads which can vary in length and are great for fringes, beaded drops, netting and even spiral stitching. Bugles can be tricky to work with as the walls of the beads are thin and the holes can be sharp. However, 'bookmarking' each end of the bead with tiny seed beads is an easy way to combat this and add variation to your design at the same time. They also work well in bead embroidery, for geometrical and linear designs.

Miyuki Cubes

Miyuki Cube beads (also known as Squares) are perfectly formed little block squares that come in 3 sizes: 1.8mm, 3mm and 4mm. These geometric beads are perfect for tight-fitting and 'locking' or 'zipping' stitches such as Peyote, Brick and Loom-work. Think Delicas, but more 3D. They can also add angular effects to Spiral Stitch and Cellini, however, you'll need to consider how much the beads may protrude from the design and what impact this might have on the wearer. Miyuki Cube beads come in an array of colours and finishes, so it's easy to team them with the same colours in the Seed Bead and Miyuki Delica beads range.

Drops, Magatamas and Long Magatamas

Drops and Magatamas are both similar in shape, with a teardrop-style silhouette. The Drop bead has a slightly 'pinched-in' tapered neck where the hole is placed, allowing the beads to nestle in between each other. Magatama drops, by comparison, have a smooth tapered neck that allows the beads to sit next to each other. The Long Magatama looks like an elongated drop that has been cut on the bias, so the bead 'leans' in a certain direction depending on how you stitch it in place.

These beads aren't designed to be used as the main bead in off-loom beadwork (i.e. you can't really Peyote or Right-Angle Weave with them by themselves). However, they are great for edging beadwork, adding embellishments when 'stitching-in-the-ditch’ and for creating definition and floral effects around a bezel. The Long Magatamas are especially good at reproducing a 'scales' effect when stitched together - perfect if you love a reptilian or dragon-style look to your creations.