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Our Bead Glossary Will Help You Recognize All of Your Beads.

STONE BEADS

This page has explanations for the bead terms you may encounter as you shop. This glossary has common words and definitions such as a Carnelian Bead definition. Below are basic definitions for the frequently-used bead terms:

Agate Beads

Fine-grained variegated chalcedony having its colors arranged in stripes, blended in clouds, or showing mosslike forms.

Amethyst Beads

Purple or violet forms of transparent quartz used as gemstones or beads.

Amazonite Beads

Apple-green or bluish-green microcline beads.

Apatite Beads

Calcium phosphate fluoride beads.

Aquamarine Beads

Transparent blue-green variety of beryl, used as gemstones or beads.

Aventurine Beads

Glass containing opaque sparkling particles of foreign material usually copper or chromic oxide.

Carnelian Beads

Pale to deep red or reddish-brown variety of clear chalcedony, used in jewelry.

Chalcedony Beads

Translucent quartz that are commonly pale blue or gray with nearly waxlike luster.

Chrysoprase Beads

Apple-green chalcedony used as gemstones or beads.

Coral Beads

Red-orange, pinkish, or white deposits secreted by corals of the genus Corallium, used to make jewelry and beads.

Fluorite Beads

Minerals, essentially CaF2 that are often fluorescent in ultraviolet light and occurs in light green, blue, yellow, brown, and colorless forms.

Garnet Beads

Brittle and more or less transparent usually red silicate mineral that has a vitreous luster, occurs mainly in crystals but also in massive form and in grains, found commonly in gneiss and mica schist, and are used as a semiprecious beads.

Jade Beads

Rich green, soft celery green or deep sage and are opaque or milky in appearance.

Jasper Beads

Opaque cryptocrystalline varieties of quartz that may be red, yellow, or brown.

Kyanite Beads

Bladed triclinic crystals and crystalline aggregates with a dark blue enamel, lapis lazuliand that is used as gemstones and beads.

Labradorite Stones

Varieties of plagioclase feldspar found in igneous rocks and characterized by brilliant colors in some specimens.

Lapis Beads

Semiprecious stones that are usually rich azure blue and are essentially complex silicate often with spangles of iron pyrites.

Marcasite Beads

Crystallized iron pyrites.

Moonstone Beads

Transparent or translucent feldspar of pearly or opaline luster used as beads.

Mother of Pearl Beads

Hard pearly iridescent substance forming the inner layer of a mollusk shell.

Onyx Beads

Chalcedony that occurs in bands of different colors and is used as gemstones or beads, especially in cameos and intaglios.

Opal Beads

Minerals that are hydrated amorphous silica softer and less dense than quartz and typically with definite and often marked iridescent play of colors.

Pearls

Dense variously colored and usually lustrous concretion formed of concentric layers of nacre as an abnormal growth within the shell of some mollusks and used as gems or beads

Peridot Beads

Deep yellowish green transparent olivine used as beads.

Quartz Beads

Minerals consisting of silicon dioxide occurring in colorless and transparent or colored hexagonal crystals or in crystalline masses.

Sodalite Beads

Transparent to translucent minerals that consist of a silicate of sodium and aluminum with some chlorine, have a vitreous or greasy luster, and are found in various igneous rocks.

Turquoise Beads

Minerals that are blue, bluish green, or greenish gray hydrous basic phosphate of copper and aluminum, take a high polish, and are valued as gems when skyblue.

Tourmaline Beads

Mineral of variable color that consists of a complex borosilicate and makes striking beads when transparent and cut.

Acid-Washed
Glass etched in acid to remove shine; similar to matte finish.
Aurora Borealis
Rainbow or irridecent effect coating on transparent glass, usually on one side of the bead.
Aventurine effect
Golden glitter due to copper crystals suspended in or pressed into the surface of other materials.
Barrel Clasp
A clasp made of two parts that screw together, usually used in necklaces.
Base metal
Any non-precious metal e.g. copper, zinc, nickel, brass.
Bead Tip
Metal finding used to hide string knots.
Beggar Beads
Large, semi-precious stone beads (usually agate, quartz, etc.)
Bicone
Two cones connected at bases.
Brass
Unplated, unlacquered raw metal. Formulas with varying proportions of copper and zinc are alloyed together to achieve different brass colors and different ductility (workability) of metal.
Bugle
Thin tubular shaped glass beads manufactured in lengths from 2 millimeters to 35 millimeters.
Bullion
Wire worked over thread or other core material, or tightly coiled into springs.
Cast
Substance (glass, metal, plastic, or other) injected into mold to reproduce form.
Ceylon
(Pearl) Opaque to translucent pearlescent coatings, usually over pastel colors.
Cinnnabar
Handcarved lacqured wood, usually in red, made in China.
Charlottes
Regular, smooth seed beads, usually in size 13, with one facet. Typically made in Czechoslovakia. Also known as "one-cut."
Chevrons
Multiple layers of different colored glass laid down in corrugated layers so as to form a starburst pattern when viewed on end.
Christmas Beads
Multi-color striped beads, in 3 to 5mm, in reds, blues, yellows, greens, etc. These beads are typically 100-300 old, originally made in Venice and Spain for African trade.
Coco Beads
Beads made out of coconut shells.
Crimp Bead
Small metal bead use to end pieces stranded in tiger tail.
Cross hole
Hanging hole through the end of a pendant or drop.
Crow
Beads made of segments of drawn tubes of glass of various thicknesses, typically slightly oval in shape due to tumbling and polishing, the shorter dimension being through the hole. Larger than Pony beads. Size 33/0 (8mm, with a 2mm hole).
Crystal
Glass with at least 30% lead, in order to produce a highly refractive quality.
Cut
Plane surfaces and sharp edges; cutting marks may be visible; facetting pattern may be somewhat irregular and variable.
2-Cut (2X), 3-Cut (3X)
These terms are used only with seed beads, usually sizes 9/0 or 12/0, having cut or molded facetting. 2-Cuts have only the sides facetted. 3-Cuts have both sides and ends facetted. These beads are very sparkly. Typically made in the Czech republic.
Delica
Japanese seed beads made of precisely cut glass, making them uniform in shape and size and color. They have large holes compared to their diameter.
Die-struck
Items made of brass sheet which is thicker than that used for stampings and always have either impressed or slightly raised surface detail and a plain back which may be flat or slightly concave.
Drawn beads
Glass beads sliced from a long tube drawn while hot from a blob of glass with an air bubble to make the bead hole. The beads are then usually tumbled and/or reheated to soften the edges and give the beads a rounded appearance. Specifically designates seed, pony, crow and bugle beads.
Druk
Round, smooth, glass beads.
End Cap
Finding used to hide the knot that ties multiple strands in a necklace or bracelet. Also known as "bell caps."
English cut
English cuts are not cut at all, but are rather crudely molded round beads with large irregular facets and mold marks.
Filigree
Delicate metal openwork.
Fire polish
High quality molded or cut pieces, that have been heat at an extremely high temperature treated to give very clean, glossy surfaces. The treatment softens the facet edges.
Fish Hook Clasp
Type of necklace clasp.
Foiled
Transparent or translucent bead in which silver or gold foil has been trapped within the body or on the surface of the bead.
French Hook
Metal finding used in earrings.
Galvanized
A non-permanent metalic finish which wears off with abrasion.
Ghost
A matte finish with a soft irridescent effect
Gold-filled
Brass wire alloyed with a small quantity of 12k gold. Less likely to cause allergic reactions than gold or silver plate.
Gold plate
(18k plate) Heavy electroplatings of 18 karat gold. The base metal is usually brass.
Greasy glass
Glass with shallow translucence that gives it a greasy appearance, as if coated with petroleum jelly. Usually a seed or pony bead.
Hamilton gold
Brass toned with a tiny amount of real gold
Hank
Bundle of strands of beads, usually 10 -12 strands, about 18" inches per strand.
Heishe
Tiny disc or tube shaped beads cut from natural shell and stone materials.
Hematite
(Hexagonal) Faceted bead which resembles a small tile.
Inclusion
Transparent to opaque color or colors within transparent body of another color.
Iris
Rainbow or irrediscent effect coating on opaque glass.
Jump Ring
Finding used to join two or more pieces of chain or other findings.
Karat
Measure of fineness of gold. 24k is pure gold. 20k, 18k, and 14k are gold combined with alloy.
Kevlar
Very strong yet thin beading thread, originally used for making bullet proof vests.
Kidney Wire
Metal earring finding shaped like a kidney.
Lampwork
Handmade glass beads made by manipulating slender glass rods in front of a gas burner.
Leverback
Type of earring finding.
Linings
Metallic or other colored coatings on the interior (hole) surface of a transparent bead. The effect of a color lining is also sometimes achieved through a colored inclusion closely surrounding the hole.
Linsin
Designates disk with side-to-side hole.
Liquid Silver/Liquid Gold
Thin tubular beads, straight or twisted, approximately 1/16" x 1/4" long, silver or gold plated.
Lobster Clasp
Metal clasp whose shape resambles a lobster.
Lustre
Colorless transparent coatings that give a very high gloss to the underlying surface.
Machine cut
Facets have highly polished plane surfaces and sharp angles which create brilliance and sparkle; facetting is regular and consistent.
Matrix
Core glass onto which different colored glass or glasses are fused while hot, as in turquoise-matrix. (Hubble).
Matte
Designates very a low-lustre, velvety, smooth surface. Also referred to as frosted or Laliqued. Matted transparent beads become translucent.
Metallics
Opaque coatings that include hematite (gunmetal), bronze, gold, silver, copper, antique gold, or antique silver.
Memory Wire
Base metal wire which retains a coiled shape. Good for making bracelets.
Millefiori
Italian for 1000 flowers. Decoration consisting of slices of multicolored glass rods (canes), usually pressed smooth (marvered), while hot into the surface of a core piece of glass.
Miracle Beads
Very bright japonese beads made from a fiberglass-like material.
Mirrrored, mirror-backed
Reflective coating on part of the surface of transparent materials, either to act directly as a mirror, or to multiply internal reflections created by facetting.
Molded
Facetting pattern is regular and consistent from bead to bead. Surface quality, from style to style, can range from very smooth and uniform with well-defined edges, to edges that are very rounded, and surfaces that have dips, flow marks, and other irregularities.
Myrrh Beads
Beads made from the hardened sap of the Myrrh tree, in Africa. Fragrant.
Neihua
Chinese glass bead painted from the inside.
Nymo
Strong nylon thread commonly used for bead weaving. Comes in sized 00 (ultra-thin) to F (thick), in a variety of colors.
Opaque
Solid color which does not allow light to pass through.
Oxidation
(Antiqued) Darkening or other color changes of metal which is accelerated by humidity, especially salty air or the presence of acidic perspiration. This does not happen to very high-karat gold or stainless steel.
Padre Beads
Turquoise colored glass trade beads made in China during the 17th and 18th century.
Picasso
Dyed opaque swirled multicolored patterns over opaque glass.
Peking glass
Generic term for transparent to opaque glass made in mainland China in colors that are more subtle than those in glass made elsewhere.
Pony
Beads meade of segments of drawn tubes of glass of various thicknesses, typically slightly oval in shape due to tumbling and polishing, the shorter dimension being through the hole. Larger than seed beads and smaller than crows. Also known as "E" beads, sizes 5/0 or 6/0. Pony beads were made prior to seed beads and were used extensively during the 1830's to 1850's.
Post
Type of earring finding.
Rattail
Rayon cord with silky texture, in bright colors, used to string larger beads.
Repousse
Decorating metal in relief by pushing the relief out from the back.
Rocaille
A silver-lined seed bead, usually with a square hole.
Rolled Gold
Similar to gold filled, but of thinner gauge.
Rondelle, belly
Flattened bead with center hole.
Rudrakshas Beads
Irregular shaped beads, made from a tree from Java, and used as prayer beads by the natives.
Satin glass
Shimmering translucent glass that appears to consist of fibers of differing tones of the same color.
Satin finish
Low-lustre satiny surface effect intermediate between glossy and matte.
Scarabee
Rich, brilliant iris coating, usually over jet glass.
Seed Bead
Beads made of segments of drawn tubes of glass of various thicknesses, typically slightly oval in shape due to tumbling and polishing, the shorter dimension being through the hole. Smaller than Pony beads, usually ranging in size from 8/0 to 24/0. The larger the numbe the smaller the bead.
Sharps
Short, stiff needles used for sewing through material.
Sherpa Coral
Very old (200-300 old) orange glass originally made in China.
Silver-lined
See Linings.
Silver or Sterling Silver plate
Heavy electroplating of Sterling silver. Sterling platings are lacquered to retard oxidation. The base metal is usually brass.
Split Ring
Finding used to join two or more pieces of chain or other findings. The wireygtes around twice, like a mini key-ring, which makes it difficult for the piece to come apart.
Stamped
Brass in any form may be either hollow, i.e. lightweight reversible constructions, or with detail in raised relief on the top side and a concave, open back.
Sterling Silver
92.5% Silver. The balance is usually copper.
Striated
Opaque, translucent, or transparent body with threads and swirls of other tones or colors on the surface or throughout.
Surgical steel
Stainless steel -- a non-allergenic material when not plated. It is darker and grayer than sterling silver.
Tiger Tail
Nylon coated steel wire used for stringing projects involving heavy beads.
Through hole
Hole in bead or pendant that passes entirely through the material, and is symmetrical with respect to the overall form.
Toggle Bar
Type of necklace clasp. See picture.
Top hole, end hole
Half-drilled hole at hanging end of pendant or drop requires glue-in or screw-in hanger. Also can be used as " stopper " for decorated hatpins.
Trade Bead
Old glass beads, mostly made in Venice 200-400 years ago, used for trade in Africa and the Orient. Usually large, cylindrical, and colorful.
Transparent
Allows light to pass through, clear or colors.
Translucent
Allow light to partially pass through, clear or colors.
Vermeil
18 karat gold plate over solid sterling silver.
Watermelon Beads
Glass beads made in Czechoslovakia around 1920, usually stripped in yellows, blues, and greens.
White Heart
Bead made of two layers, the inside layer being white, and the outside usually red, orange, or pink. These are not heart shaped! Most white hears are antique.