Delicas are a specific bead made by world celebrated Miyuki, Japan's oldest seed bead manufacturer. They are shaped like a cylinder with a big hole that provides room for several passes of thread through each bead and can be purchased in a large selection of colors and finishes.
Size 11 is the most popular size of the Delica beads with 944 different colors, finishes and treatments in the round cylinders in addition to another 55 in the hex cuts, which are hexagon shaped cylinders. The diverse variations are produced by particular glass treatments. There is basic transparent glass, basic opaque glass, and etched glass for a matte or semi-matte effect. Then there are the various colored glasses.
Also there is a variety of finishes or treatments. "Treatment" refers to something that is done on the surface of the glass and can be on the top, at times within the hole and sometimes one finish on the top and an alternate finish in the hole. Treatments may be made up of a clear "rainbow" or "aurora borealis" finish, a "pearl" finish, colored dyes, as well as many types of metal coatings including precious metals. Some Delica beads have more than one treatment applied to them in order to produce the desired effect.
Note that there are some durability issues with a number of the finishes like the dyed or galvanized beads. The best shops should be able to supply you with the durability information.
Miyuki also makes a size 10 Delica that is slightly bigger, a size 8 that is much bigger than the size 11, and a size 15 that is a lot smaller. The size 10 and 15 are quite new and as a result don't come in as as big a variety of colors and finishes as the size 11.
The quality of Miyuki's Delica beads is very high and therefore they are more expensive. You should buy them from a reliable bead shop that sells the authentic article. You should be aware that some suppliers have been known to buy cheaper, lower quality beads from another manufacturer and pawn them off as Delicas. Also be very wary if you are tempted to buy at an on-line auction.
If you are purchasing your beads to finish a pattern that provides you with the Delica number, for example DB-010, you shouldn't have a problem because every color has a number. But if you are getting your beads by description you likely will have a problem, because there is not a standard color description for each bead. The reason being that the Japanese description does not translate readily into English and the different importers each have their own interpretation. So it's always best to go by the DB- number.
Real Delica beads are a great choice in any Loom, Peyote or Brick project because they are so uniform. They make any pattern line up perfectly and give a clean, crisp finish to your beadwork. There are fewer culls when you are working and therefore they are more cost effective than their price might indicate. And the color and finish range is superb!
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