From ancient traditions to the modern culture, the style of beaded embroidery has evolved from simple designs to creatively sewn beaded embellishments techniques. The need to beautify both garments as well as household objects with precious and semi precious stones and glass beads has made this embroidery very popular. Bead embroidery is one of the most expressive, most satisfying methods of beadwork, which is like painting with beads; forms create themselves, patterns flow and the beads know where they want to be.
This craft is developed in the late 19th century with the use of imported venetian beads. Bead embroidery on textiles is done to embellish the fabric in a few regions. In India special beadwork embroidery of the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan are very famous. Unlike in Gujarat state, where the bead embroidery shows only beads as the beads become the fabric, as it were, elsewhere mostly flowing or geometrical designs are worked with beads on fine fabrics.
The motifs are stylized, generally an elephant with a howda, a camel and rider, a warrior on his horse, a women churning butter, and so on. In bead work, decorative items such as torans, Chaklas, long panels as well as pillow covers and indhonis (the base for water pots carried on the head) are created by women.
With the use of thread and small needle, a large variety of patterns are created out of different coloured beads. The ground is white and the patterns are worked out in purple, yellow, red and green. White and coloured beads are used usually on dark and bright shades to bring out the beauty of the bead design.