MIYUKI® TILA beads are manufactured glass that is melted in a 1400 degree furnace and then formed into a tubular mold through blowing and stretching. A special cutting machine is used to perfectly cut the desired size; a second forming process occurs after the cutting machine.  beads are cleaned and then electroplated, dyed, baked, printed, etc. 

The final step, another cleaning.

There are many technical difficulties to producing these beads, hence their premium quality and brilliant appeal. Some of the production difficulties are color shading, cutting and the tolerance to perfectly scale and shape, and round-burning which is controlling the firing temperature and materials used to help form the shape of the beads.