Did you ever fall in love with a bead?
Days go by, and you keep shopping around for more colors of the same beads, more patterns with the same beads, more design ideas with the same beads…
Ahhh, I know how it feels! Especially, if those beads are Crescent beads!
What are the Crescent beads?
CzechMates Two-Hole Crescent Beads are pressed glass beads made by Czech glass artisans.
To make these beads, artisans press a heated glass rod into a mold. After the glass bead has been pressed into a mold, it is faceted into the desired amount of cuts. Then it is run through a furnace at extremely high temperature to just melt the surface of the glass to give them a glossy finish.
Crescent beads are 10mm x 3mm in size and come in over 160 color and texture combinations!
Crescent beads seemed fascinating to me since I first saw them. Depending on the side you want to use, they tend to add roundness to a beaded object, or, the opposite, – sharpness and even aggressiveness. Sometimes, they look like little “claws” in a woven structure. You might find it cute, or… not. (What do you think?) In other words, they never fail to add a striking pattern to your beadwork design.
At first, I found Crescent bead somewhat tricky, not totally symmetrical, pointy and a little awkward. Well, the days, when you string a bead, and it looks the same from all perspectives, are gone. Awkward might mean adventure today. And pointy jewelry might look more exciting for some people.
Nevertheless, playing with Crescent beads has been fun!
I have designed several patterns for Crescent beads, and I continue using them for bead weaving and even bead embroidery.
Crescent Bead Patterns
A fascinating feature of the Crescent bead is its shape. My first impression of it: it’s flat.
Well, in a way, they are. However, unlike many other two-hole beads, Crescents suggest 3-dimensional designs. I’ve never seen a flat piece of jewelry made of these beads.
Riletta Bracelet
My bestseller Riletta Bracelet is my attempt to weave a flat bracelet. As I mentioned above, Crescent beads hardly let you make a flat piece of jewelry.
Thanks to Crescent beads, Riletta has a nice 3D effect and quickly becomes a favorite among jewelry shoppers and beading enthusiasts. Once customers try it on, they notice how comfortable it feels on the arm. Then they look surprised and tell me they expected it to feel “pointy.”
Nabia Earrings
It is not a secret that many of us want to combine a blingy crystal with almost any bead that comes on the market. We go nowhere without bling, don’t we?
Nabia Earrings bead pattern is to solve this problem. The cute claws I mentioned above, are here to hold a crystal. Nabia is an elegant design, but I went even further and created Nabia necklace.
Water Flower Pattern
Water Flower design was an adventure that led me to create reversible jewelry.
It is because of a tricky Crescent bead shape I was able to create a reversible bracelet.
After the bracelet, I made a necklace and a pair of earrings. All – reversible. Two different colors and colorways are used for both sides of one piece of jewelry.
Kangra Spiral Pattern
After all these beading adventures with Crescent beads, I only had one design to create, but this one felt like a necessity, – a spiral!
Kangra is a spiral made of Crescent beads. It reminds me of a railroad in the mountains. Hence the name, Kangra, after one of the scenic railway in a mountain area of India.
(If you want to learn more about Kangra railway, watch this documentary.)
Kangra is created for a Crescent-bead-lover! It requires lots of beads and lots of patience. All beautiful things do!
More Crescent Bead Patterns
If this list of patterns is too small for you, I suggest you try this fun and easy Crescent bead chain! Make a super-quick bracelet with it!
I also designed a free pattern for modern earrings with these beads:
This left-hand beading tutorial might be helpful for everybody who has problems following right-hand patterns and tutorials.
Even though I don’t speak Italian, I love Italian beadwork designers. These earrings are beautiful, and the tutorial is very visual. I can imagine it is easy to understand without listening.
Problems with Crescent Bead Patterns and Beads
If you are looking for Crescent bead patterns or tutorial, make sure that step-by-step instructions include which side of the Crescent bead faces you when you pick it up on your needle. At least it should be specified which side of all Crescent beads in the jewelry piece face a particular direction. Some patterns have them turned in different directions, and it is crucial to understand how exactly you incorporate it into your beadwork.
Sometimes the detailed beadwork photos reveal a loose beaded structure. Crescent beads are much bigger compared to seed beads which are usually woven together. It is possible that pattern designer failed to work up the details and improve the beadwork structure. Crescent beads that are not fixated in place by other beads will wobble, and therefore the whole design will look sloppy.
Crescent beads may also create flows in the design if they are not perfect. Beading with them for several years now, I noticed that for every 10 gram of Crescent beads I find two-three damaged, blemished or imperfectly shaped beads. I throw them out because these flows are noticeable enough to ruin the beaded piece.
Bead embroidery with Crescent Beads
Why not try Crescent beads in bead embroidery? You will need much fewer beads than you usually buy for a bead weaving project! On top of registering for an economy class, you still design a look as impressive as if you just woven worth of five tubes of beads.
As you see, Crescent beads are fun to play with. There are plenty of patterns and ideas for you to try. Start with the one you find beautiful. You, or your friends, will wear it one day and think: “That’s fabulous!”
Happy beading!
