Thursday, July 2, 2009

Info about Bead appearances...

Austrian Swarovski Crystals- Beads with a high lead content and precision faceting.

Bugle Beads- Tube shaped beads from 2mm to 30mm in length. These can be straight, hex cut, or twisted along their length.

Charlotte's- These are seed beads that have been ground flat on one side.

Transparent — Classic, changeable, transparent glows with background light, and changes with the colour of the beads around it.

Opaque — Always useful, opaque glass. A solid-colored bead commonly seen in the traditional Native American beadwork.

Metallic — for the rich, metallic look.

Lustre — a subtle look, Lustre is softer than a high-gloss.

Colour-Lined — a colour-core with a transparent coat.

Satin- Directional sheen due to many tiny bubbles pulled through the glass as the bead is formed.

Silver-Lined — A silver inner core, with a transparent colour overlay gives a glittering, luxurious effect.

Oily — despite the odd name, is a lovely, subtle finish, slightly lustrous.

Matte — Matte is a silky soft non-glossy finish. May be combined with another finish

Iris or Aurora Borealis (AB) — Aurora Borealis or Iris is an iridescent finish reminiscent of the play of colours on a soap bubble. May be transparent or opaque, glossy or matte.

Dyed — some colours are harder to create and are simulated with dyes. The dyes do not rub off in these beads, but may fade with time.

Pearl — very subtle lustrous finish

3 comments:

Miss Val's Creations said...

Great glossary. Descriptions of appearance can be confusing to many people and this is helpful in explaining them.

Bobbi Ann said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bobbi Ann said...

Hi, thanks so much! I know when I first started beading things were very confusing to me. That's why I posted this, in hopes to help someone new. Thanks so much for your comment. I hope that you have a wonderful evening.