Today, molds ease the production process and create the perfect spheres of glass that are used in jewelry. The molten glass is either formed around thin wires, which is later removed to leave a hole, or electric drills can be used to make small holes for threading. Once molded, the beads are tumbled in large containers to remove the outer seams, or other imperfections. The beads can be colored by natural or chemical substances that are added to the glass during molding, or at the end of the process as a paint finish. Glass beads can be formed in several different ways.
Mosaic beads are the most intricately formed glass beads.
Invented by the Romans and Egyptians, they incorporate many segments of a colored glass cane that has been sliced and molded back together again. The most common type of glass bead is the wound bead, where the glass is wound by hand around a wire, which is later removed. Lampwork beads are formed over a heating lamp and then elaborately decorated. The Venetian beadmakers had also perfected the production of the most highly used beads, the rocailles . These beads are the tiny seed beads used in embroiders even today.