Many objects in Canadian museums are decorated with glass beads in a multitude of colours, shapes and sizes. They are almost always found in combination with other materials. When considering their storage and care, one must also take these materials into account. Glass beads are frequently threaded with sinew, cotton or wool and are usually applied to commercially tanned or native-tanned leather or to a wool or silk support material. When conserving these linds of items, the main problems are related to the deterioration of the support materials, the threading material and adjacent decorative elements. Most frequently, the beads are simply dirty or loose, but occasionally the glass itself may be deteriorating.