Bead Jewelry Project Instructions Article

What Are Mardi Gras Beads?

Since French settlers first celebrated it around the banks of the Mississippi River around the year 1699, Mardi Gras has become a holiday that is widely celebrated around the city of New Orleans. Every year forty seven days before Easter Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday) is celebrated in the city. However, there are many different Mardi Gras celebrations around the world, and Mardi Gras beads are a part of the celebrations.

Mardi Gras beads have not always been a part of the celebration. The first appearance of Mardi Gras beads came in Czechoslovakia in the 1920s. With the people who attended the parties becoming so excited about Mardi Gras beads other groups, or krewes, that participated in Mardi Gras parties began handing out Mardi Gras beads too. The first kinds of Mardi Gras beads were made of glass, but they became plastic because they were safer and cheaper to make.

Mardi Gras beads are made to look like something out of royalty. They have the appearance and style of what a royal leader would wear. Many different colors and shapes are used in Mardi Gras beads too.

There are two kinds of Mardi Gras beads. The first kind is that of throw beads. Also known as machine beads, they are made by molding plastic beads together to a thread. A finish, such as a metallic or pearl finish, is applied to the beads after this happens. A hot metal pin is then placed on the ends of the Mardi Gras beads so that the strand will be closed up. Usually the two beads at the ends today are melted and joined together in today’s Mardi Gras beads.

The other kind of Mardi Gras beads is that of handstrung beads. These are made with strong individual attention, as the beads are strewn onto a string by hand and not by machine. They are more expensive, but they have more colors and more styles. Metal alloys and molded plastic are used, and some use Polystone, which is a ceramic material that has polymer in it.

The most notable part of handstrung beads is that a string features a medallion that can be hung from any part of the string. This includes in the middle of the string.

It is easy to tell the difference between the two types of Mardi Gras beads. If the thread is visible and the beads are easy to move around then the Mardi Gras beads are throw beads.

The last part of Mardi Gras beads is that they can be twisted into many different shapes. Because the strings for Mardi Gras beads are twisted, many different designs can be made from the beads.

Mardi Gras beads are great for parties and are perfect for celebrations. They can make for great decorations and apparel for festive activities. They can be a great thing to use for a Mardi Gras party no matter where in the world it is being held at.