Ranging from hand-carved wooden beads to tiny glass seed ones, the traditional beads found in India cover a wide range of styles, materials and treatment processes. The bead art in India dates back to Indus valley civilization and is said to be 5000 years old. People during that age made beads out of silver, gold, clay, ivory and even wood. India is one of the largest bead producers in the world. The beads made in Varanasi are exported in huge quantities throughout the world. The glass beads used today were not found in India until 1700 and were available only in the kingdom of Saurashtra (now southern Gujarat state). With new sets of tools in the modern industry, the artisans have not failed to create newer types of beads with vast colors and imaginative work.
