Wooden beads
Wooden beads have been around for a long time and are definitely one of the earliest kinds of beads made they are also used in everyday objects-a common car seat padding is made out of wooden beads. A Chinese invention, the beads help circulate air around your back as well as act as a gentle massage. There are also mattress covers available that are meant to add cooling air to your sleep, luckily the beads used in these mattress covers are flattened out to be more like tiles.
One of the most ingenious uses of wooden beads is the abacus-predating the calculator by thousands of years. The abacus is still reported to be faster in the hands of an accomplished user than its Johnny come lately cousin.
Simple and elegant wooden beads offer a natural look and feel that plastic beads can not achieve; they are also a great way to lighten the overall weight of a beaded piece of jewelry or sculpture.