Glass beads are being crafted for more than 2,000 years and various civilization has used them in many ways, from decorations to currencies. Techniques of the glass making industry were trade secrets until the early 17th century. But today, there are infinite ways in which glass beads can be manufactured, some of them are so simple that one can even give it a try at home. Popular methods of bead making include handmade, lamp worked or wound beads, etc. Glass beads are formed in many different ways. Some of the most prominent today are:

Wound: The bead is formed by the ancient technique of winding molten glass around a metal wire. The beads are then sliced and polished.

Lampwork: A wound glass bead is formed by winding molten glass around copper wire heated over a lamp.

Mosaic: Mosaic beads are very ornate, and are composed entirely of colorful fused segments of glass cane. Glass cane is a long drawn rod of glass.

Millefiori: These beads have layers of colorful glass fused in cross section and melted onto the surface of a bead. The resulting surface can look like flowers, like faces, like an abstract pattern, or even a realistic scene. One example of a glass cross section: two layers of different-color glass, rolled up like a jelly roll, and then sliced.

Swarovski Crystal: These are leaded (crystal) glass beads with a very high brilliance. These are named after Daniel Swarovski who was born in Bohemia in 1862, and who invented a machine to cut glass.

Chevron: A very popular bead, first made in the 1400's in Venice. This bead is formed by drawn-out layered glass block sectioned into beads; their ends are cut or ground down to create a zigzag pattern, usually blue with white and red stripes.

Blown: Blown glass beads are formed as a craftsman blows into a glass tube that has a small piece of molten glass on the end. The tube is turned over heat until the bead reaches the desired size.