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

Random Info that may be useful to you...

Q: What does "temporarily strung" mean?

A: For convenience, some beads are strung for shipping. The quality of the string and the stringing is not such that you would want to trust it in the long term for your projects! However, buying beads temporarily strung can make it easier to string them for your projects. Simply slide the needle with your good thread down through the beads next to the temporary string to transfer them.

Q: How long are your bugle beads?

A: Just when you thought you had seed beads figured out, eh? - we throw bugle beads at you. #3 bugles are 6-7 mm, #4s are 8-9mm. Larger sizes are indicated in mm.

Q: What is a "mm"?

A: mm is short for "millimetre" - there are about 25 mm in an inch.

Q: Why are those lovely red beads more expensive than the same bead in another colour?

A: Red glass, and the really nice pinks and purples, are more expensive than other colours of glass - as the main colouring agent is gold.