Glossary of Beading Terms

Acid-Washed:  Use of an acid to remove the shine from glass or other materials to create a matte-like finish. 

Alloy:  Any combination of two or more metals.  (For example, brass is made of copper and zinc.)

Aurora Borealis: Application of a rainbow finish on a glass bead, often on just one side.  Name is taken from "the northern lights" - an aurora that occurs in northern regions of our planet.

Aventurine Effect: Gold glitter effect created by suspending copper crystals in another material.  

Base Metal: An elementary substance that has basic rather than acidic properties.  Term is often used by beaders to refer to any non-precious metal such as copper, nickel, tin, or zinc.  Also used to refer to alloys such as brass, bronze, and steel.  

Bead Tip: Finding used to conceal the beader's knots.

Beggar Beads: Large semi-precious beads made of stone.

Bell Caps: Metal finding used to hide the knot that connects multiple strands in a bracelet or necklace (a.k.a., "end cap").

Bicone: Two cones connected at their respective bases.

Brass: A yellowish alloy made of copper and zinc -- usually 67 percent copper and 33 percent zinc.  Sometimes other metals are included in the amalgamation. 

Bronze: An alloy of copper and tin in various proportions, sometimes with small traces of other metals.

Bugle:  Thin tubular shaped glass beads.

Cabochon:  A very polished, convex-cut, unfaceted gem. 

Cast: Process of putting a material such as metal or glass into a mold to create a particular form.  

Charlottes: One-faceted, smooth seed beads, usually from Czechoslovakia.

Chatoyancy (chatoyant):  Having a changeable luster.

Coco Beads: Beads made from the shell of a coconut.

Crimp Bead: A soft metal bead that is pinched ("crimped")  onto beading wire, cord or string to hold beads in place.

Crystal: Glass with a lead composition of at least 30%.  Lead is added for its refractive properties.

Delica: A registered trademark, term refers to Japanese seed beads made from cut glass that have uniform shape, size and color properties. 

Druk: Glass beads that are round and smooth.

End Cap: See "bell cap."

Facet: One of the flat polished surfaces cut on a gemstone; facets can also occur naturally.

Finding: A general term used to classify  metal jewelry components, including clasps, connecting rings, headpins, ear wires and posts.

Filigree: Intricate metalwork, typically with an open design.

Fish Hook Clasp: Finding for connecting the ends of a necklace.

Galvanized: Having a metallic coating.  

Gem/Gemstone: A crystalline rock that can be cut and polished.  Gems are often classified as "precious" and "semiprecious" based on cost.

Gold: a soft, shiny metal that is the color of...gold. Pure gold is 24 karats (24k); 12k gold is 50% gold and 50% of another metal (often copper, silver or zinc).  Any "gold" less than 24k is thus an alloy.

Gold-filled: Hard metal base with an outer layer of gold.  The gold covering should be 1/20th or more of the overall weight of the item. When a thinner layer is used, the items is said to be "gold-plated."

Gold-Plated: See Gold-Filled.

Hamilton Gold: Brass to which a tiny amount of gold has been added.

Iridescence: Producing a lustrous display of rainbow-like colors; brilliant, lustrous, colorful in appearance or effect.

Iris: A rainbow display of iridescent colors.

Jump Ring: A metal ring used to connect two or more chains or jewelry components, including other findings.  Often made weak to be the "failure point" in a necklace or bracelet to prevent injury.

Karat: Measure of the quality of gold.  24 karat (24k) is pure gold.  Anything less than 24k is an allow.  For instance, 12k is 50% gold.  Food of choice for poor-spelling bunnies.

Kevlar: Very strong material best known for its use in making bullet proof vests.  Used in beading to as an incredibly strong, thin beading thread.  Material of choice if you fear that your jewelry might some day be a target of assassination. 

Kidney Wire: A type of earring finding that gets its name from its shape.

Lampwork: Handcrafted glass beads made from think glass rods to which heat has been applied.

Leverback: A type of earring finding.

Lobster Clasp: A metal clasp that gets its name from its "lobster claw" shape.

Matte: Low-luster (non-glossy), smooth surface.  Term is often used to describe glass beads that are matted ("frosted"), thereby transforming them from transparent to translucent.

Memory Wire: Wire made of a metal that will retain its shape after it has been bent or coiled in some fashion. 

Metallics: Opaque coatings, including gold, silver, copper, bronze, and other materials.

Miracle Beads: Colorful beads made in Japan from a material related to fiberglass.

Myrrh Beads: Fragrant beads made from the dried and hardened sap of the Myrrh Tree of Africa.

Nei Hua: (Sometimes spelled Neihua.)  Chinese glass beads that are painted on the inside with a miniature brush that is passed through a small opening in the top of the bead.  This is painstaking work!  “Nei hua” literally means “inside painting.”

Nickel silver: An alloy of primarily copper, plus nickel and zinc.  Nickel silver has no silver in it at all.

Nymo: Very strong nylon thread.  Comes in sizes 00 (very thin) to F (very thick). Size 00 is often used for seed beadwork.

One-Cut: See "Charlottes." 

Opacity - the quality of not being penetrable by light  (the quality of being opaque).

Oxidation: The darkening that occurs in some metals as its surface combines with oxygen. This process can be accelerated to create an antiqued look.

Post: One of several types of earring findings.

Rattail: Rayon cord. Admired for its silky appearance and bright colors.  Perfect for stringing larger beads.

Refractive: The bending of a light or sound wave as it passes through a medium.

Repousse: Term usually used for metal that has been decorated with patterns that have been created by applying force on the back of the metal to create a raised relief.

Rocaille: Silver-lined seed bead.  Most often made with a square hole.

Rolled Gold: The process by which a layer of 14 karat gold is layered and mechanically applied to a base foundation of metal.  

Rudrakshas Beads: These have been described as “Asian Wonder Beads.”  They come from the Rudrakshas tree (Elaeocarpus Ganitrus Roxb) and are used in Indonesia, India, Japan, Nepal and China by Hindu and Buddhist followers for healing and meditation.

Satin Finish: Term, also used for paint, describes a finish that has more gloss than matte or flat, but not highly glossy.

Satin Glass:  Satin glass has layered, satin-like appearance. The color changes slightly depending on the angle from which the glass is examined.

Scarabee:  Rainbow finish applied to the outer surface of a glass bead.

Seed Bead: Very small oval beads made from segments of tubes of glass that have been tumbled and polished.

Sharps: short, inflexible needles.

Sherpa Coral: a type of orange/reddish glass invented in China as an inexpensive alternative to coral.

Silver: A white, soft metal. Fine silver is 99.9% silver.  Silver this pure is very soft -- almost too soft for use in jewelry.  For this reason, silver is usually combined with other materials (especially copper) to harden it.  

Silver-lined: Bead that has a reflective, mirror-like lining.

Silver-plated: a base metal that has a very think layer of silver bonded to it.

Split Ring: finding used to connect two or more chains or other jewelry components (findings). It resembles a small key ring.

Sterling silver: A silver allow with at least 92.5% silver.  Typically, sterling silver is made as a silver/copper alloy.

Sterling silver plate: Application of sterling silver to a base metal, such as a brass alloy. Lacquer can be applied to the plate to prevent oxidation.

Striated: Marked with stripes, striae, grooves, or ridges.  Used in the beading world to describe an item that has straight or swirled threads of colors of various tones on the surface or internally.

Surgical steel: Stainless steel.  Often used in jewelry that pierces the body, such as tongue rings.

Through Hole: The hole that passes through a charm, pendant, or bead.

Tiger Tail: Steel wire coated with nylon; used for stringing heavy beads.

Trade Bead: A bead used as currency in trade.

Translucent: The property of allowing some light to pass through a material.

Transparent: The property of allowing light to pass through such that one can see through the object without obstruction of view.

Vermeil: 18 karat gold plate over sterling silver.

Watermelon Beads: Glass beads made in Czechoslovakia in the early 1900s.  Usually striated in tones of yellow, blue and green.

White Heart: Two-layered bead.  In core of the bead (it’s “heart”) is made of white glass. The outside layer is usually brightly colored.