The sylianka is one of the best-known Ukrainian pieces of beadwork. It is worn around the neck like a collar or a necklace and recognised by its lacy net of diamonds. The name comes from the Ukrainian verb “syliaty”, to string beads on a thread.
How a sylianka is built
A gerdan is often woven in rows, while a sylianka is made with netting: threads with beads meet at shared beads and form diamonds. The diamonds sit in tiers, and the lower edge is often finished with pendants. The pattern comes from the colours of single beads at the joints and along the sides of the diamonds.
Syliankas in Biser Studio
The editor has two kinds: a regular sylianka and an arc sylianka for half-round collars. The editor builds the diamond net for you, and you colour the beads. These tools help:
Netting structure — tiers, dense rows and bridges;
Regular diamond — draws an even diamond on the sylianka net;
Half diamonds — shift the diamonds of a part of the collar by half a diamond;
Pendants — create, edit and copy pendants;
Collar shape — sets the shape and the edges.
In the finished-piece view, the fragment you drew can be repeated across the whole width, so you see the sylianka as a full collar.
Where to start
For a first sylianka, choose 3–4 contrasting colours and a simple repeating motif.
Check the bead count for each colour before you buy: the materials list adds it up for you.
Design your own sylianka in the Biser Studio web editor.
