What are Pony Beads?
Pony beads are plastic or glass beads similar to seed beads, but much larger in size. They are popular with both adults and children as they easy to work with and are available in a wide range of colors, finishes and shapes. Pony beads are often used in hair fashions, ornaments, children’s crafts and jewelry making. Explorers such as Lewis and Clark brought European glass beads such as pony beads to North America. These beads ended up being called pony beads when they were delivered by the Pony Express. Native American women used glass pony beads, along with seed and crow beads, on fringes on leather clothing and moccasins. They also used pony beads along with other beads to make necklaces for their tribe and neck gear for the horses.
