Treasures (formerly known as TOHO Antiques) - These beads are TOHO's most popular cylinder bead. Not only does the large hole come in handy for stringing projects, it also makes the beads lighter, which in turn translates to more beads per kilo! These are available in a wide variety of popular colors, in two sizes.
TOHO means 'Eastern Treasure' in English. Toho Treasures are similar to Miyuki's Delica beads, small exacting cylinder shaped beads with large holes that make them ideal for precision work. They are made in Japan by the Toho Bead Company, a company well know for its attention to detail, and for manufacturing high quality beads that are uniform in shape. They are cylindrically shaped, and they give a tile like appearance to finished pieces. Their holes are larger, due to the cylindrical shape so it is easy to pass the beading thread through them multiple times.
Originally, the definition of size 11/0 meant that there are 11 beads to the inch, but with Toho Treasures it tends to be more like 17 to 22 beads per inch, depending on the finish. In general, there are 7 to 8 grams in each 3" tube of size 11/0. There are around 200 beads in a gram so a tube holds 1400+ beads per tube!
The larger size 8/0 Treasures has 33 beads per gram, we pack them in a wider tube which holds 9 to 10 grams, again, depending on the finish they can weigh more, holding around 300 beads.
Toho Treasures have a center hole that is larger, which makes them light so you get more beads per gram of weight. And there are very few imperfect beads needing to be culled. Also, each of the colors has a specific number so you can order the exact color you need for your project. We have provided a color sample for each bead color, but please use these only as a rough guide as the actual color may vary significantly from the sample picture. This is due to the different finishes on the beads and how they react to different light sources. Also computer monitors can show colors differently.
***For those of you who are following a pattern and only have the style number for the colors you want to purchase, you can enter the number (ex: 566 ) in the search box located in the upper left corner of the site and it will bring up the corresponding description and page for that number. When you click on the selection it brings up a larger image and the item number is listed right below the name, so you know that it is the exact one you want.***
Note: Please be patient with us as we update and add the listings to this section of the website. In the meantime, if you do not see what you want please let us know as we very well may have it in stock and can take your order over the phone.
Thanks, Pam