Structural Characteristics Of Handmade Bead Strings

Core Components :
Beads (sub-beads): The main body that constitutes the string of beads, made of various materials, such as wood, jade, crystal, glass, plastic, etc., with different shapes and sizes, is the core of decoration and function

Wire/Rope (Tent) : Used to connect all beads in series, common materials include elastic thread, nylon thread, silk thread, copper wire, steel wire, etc., and the weight of the beads, wearing comfort and durability should be considered when choosing. The copper wire is softer and suitable for styling; The steel wire is stiff and suitable for making structures that need to be shaped, such as bracelet rings

Mother-in-law (tee/Buddha's head): In the Buddha beads or bracelets with a specific structure, the mother beads are larger beads, usually with three holes (T-shaped arrangement), which are used to connect the two ends of the line, play the role of "all laws are one", and are the hub of the whole string of beads

Sept beads (knotted beads/count take): In longer bead strings (such as one hundred and eight Buddha beads), separator beads are beads that are slightly larger than sub-beads, which are used to evenly separate the sub-beads (e.g., place a separator bead every 27 sub-beads), making the structure of the bead string clearer and easier to count

Disciple beads (Jizi): Usually refers to the small string of beads hanging under or on one side of the mother bead, the number is mostly ten or twenty, and each ten is a small string, mainly used for counting (such as the counting of the number of times when chanting scriptures and chanting Buddha), and the number of "ten" symbolizes the "ten paramitas" of Buddhism

Jiziliu: Located at the end of each string of disciple beads, it is a bead or ornament that is slightly larger than the disciple beads (sometimes replaced by Chinese knots), and its main function is to prevent the disciple beads from slipping off, and it is also decorative

Tassel (duster): A decorative spike of thread, often hung from the top of a mother bead or pagoda, often woven into auspicious patterns such as swastika knots or long knots by Han believers

Accessories and fasteners: Including stupas (conical ornaments above the mother bead), metal chains, adjustment chains, lobster buckles, spring buckles, bag buckles, etc., used to adjust the length, fix the ends or add decorative effects. Metal chains can be used to make necklaces, bracelets or tassels, and can be divided into perforated chains (which can be directly connected with loops) and non-perforated chains (which need to be used with accessories such as chain heads) according to the presence or absence of holes.