Czech Glass Beads:

For centuries, the people of the Czech Republic (formerly Bohemia) have been refining the art of glasswork.  Not surprisingly, this art form has been extended to include beads.  You can often find them from a number of suppliers under the name “Czech Glass” or “Bohemian Glass”.

When I first started working with Czech glass beads, I was worried about their suitability as prayer beads.  Using cheap or inexpensive materials is considered inappropriate in many Buddhist schools, and I had often heard glass beads being described as “fake” or “imitation stone”.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

In the beginning, I ordered a small batch to test their strength and durability.  I was surprised to find that even after several strikes with a hammer, these beads didn’t even chip.  The only way I could break them was by heating them on a stove element, dropping them in ice water, and then striking them with the hammer.  You can probably imagine that this not the kind of stress that these beads would normally be exposed to.

If we look at the performance of natural stone, we can see that they are far weaker.  In my tests, I found that virtually all stone beads chipped or shattered after a single hammer strike.  In some cases, the stone beads were reduced to dust with one hit.  Furthermore, some stone beads are highly porous, and over time, they can absorb oils and minerals from your skin.  This makes them much weaker.  However, Czech glass is impervious to this problem.   

Given their strength, Czech glass beads are ideal for heirloom prayer beads.  If you really want to pass on your beads to several generations of students or children, you should definitely think about these beads.  In the store, you can find several Malas and bracelets made with Czech glass beads.  I sincerely hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do.