These beads are made out of paper. I recyceled some of those pesky mailers we all just love to fill up our trash cans with. I use to roll up paper when I was a kid. It was a nervous habit. But I never thought to make beads out of them. I probably won't make any more because I heard about an organization called Beads for Life. It is a company that women in Ugandy sell paper beads to who in turn sell them to jewelry makers. You need to go into Spotlight and read about this. It is really something and saving so many women. I have seen some sold on Etsy. But I don't want to make them because I would deprive a lady of her job. I did make a couple out of newspaper that was really pretty. But making them is very time consuming,too.