Collection: TOHO Seed Beads

The history of glass bead making in Japan is very short. It started in the Hiroshima Fukuyama area in the beginning of the Showa era (1930s)as a “Mom-and-Pop” business. 

TOHO was started on Nov 3rd,1951. Since then, they've strived to improve their techniques, designed and created new equipment and facilities. Today, TOHO has become one of the top quality glass beads maker in the world.  

With a slightly larger hole than other seed beads, TOHO Round and Triangle Japanese seed beads are a popular choice for bead weaving projects that require multiple thread passes.

Beaders find that Toho seed beads size to size, seem to be a bit larger and more regular  than Miyuki’s round seed beads.  For example, a Toho size 11/0 seems a bit larger than a Miyuki size 11/0.  But the difference is so minimal that you can easily combine the two in your designs. 

Some Beaders find that Toho seed beads are more regular with minimal wastage. To them, Toho round seed beads feel better to work with.  

Beading like any art has it's passionate followers.  Like an artists brush some prefer working only with Delica, others Miyuki or Preciosa and some Love TOHO! 

At Beadazzle, we carry all four! 

TOHO Size Chart Click Here

Aiko Precision Cylinder Bead: These high quality cylinder beads are totally consistent in size and shape, and provide a smooth, flat finish to the beaded piece created with them.  

Aught Size:  A unit of measurement used in beading that refers to the number of beads lined up side by side.  11/0 would mean that 11 beads would fit in that space.    An 8/o means you will have 8 beads fit in that space, and a 6/o means you will get 6 beads to fill that same amount of space.  Smaller the number, the bigger the bead, because it takes fewer beads to fill that space.

Aurora Borealis (AB):  AB is a coating that is applied to many crystals and beads to give them a permanent iridescent effect.   

Bugle Beads: A thin, tubular shaped bead that is available in 1.5 to over 9mm in size.  

Ceylon: A pearl looking finish on a translucent bead.

Charlotte:  Also  known as 1-Cut are made by Preciosa and also by TOHO.  These beads give a flicker of sparkle to your finished creation.  

Dyed Rainbow:  This finish is made by applying surface dyes or stains to the finished beads with heat.  Care should be taken to avoid overexposure to sunlight or contact with oils and acids from the skin.

Frosted:  More commonly referred to as Matte Finish.  Chemical etching or tumbling produces a matte finish.  

Galvanized:  The shiny finish on these beads gives them the appearance of metal.  They are not in the metallic bead family.  Unlike their previous renditions, the new galvanized beads are very durable. 

Gold-Lined:  These transparent beads have a real 14KT Gold Plating on the inside of the bead.

Gold-Lustered:  A transparent bead that has had a gold luster applied to the surface.

Hex Beads:  These beads are also referred to as CUT and have six facets on each bead.  

Inside-Color or Color-Lined:  Transparent or Transparent AB beads that have had an opaque color added to the inside of the bead.  

Luster:   A semi-transparent high gloss coating is applied with a resulting pearl like appearance.    

Matte:  The matte finish is done with chemical etching or tumbling.  These beads are very popular in todays creations.  

Metallic and Higher Metallic:  These beads have a shiny polished metallic finish.  

Opaque:  Opaque means that the bead is solid and no light can pass through.  

Perma Finish:  TOHO has developed a technology that has dramatically improved the stability of their galvanized, silver-lined, and Ceylon beads.  These new generation PF beads are more durable but still sensitive to alcohol and harsh chemicals.  

Seed Beads:  Uniform Rounded Beads made famous by Miyuki from Japan and now created by Preciosa and TOHO.  We carry them in sizes 2/0 to 15/0. They are used in intricate jewellery making, loom work, bead weaving, bead crochet, bead embroidery, clothing and many other things.  Famous in Indigenous Art dating back many generations.  

Silver-Lined:  These transparent beads are coated with a Sterling Silver Lining inside to give the bead a sparkle from within. 

Three-Cuts:  These beads are very similar to the 1-Cuts or Charlottes but have three cuts or facets to them. 

Transparent:  These are the most common seed beads and are clear to the eye. 

Treasures:  Similar to Delica, TOHO’s Treasures are a cylinder bead that is slightly smaller than an 11/0 RD bead.