Home / Beads / Beader's Glossary

This is the place to find out what a Peridot or a Labradorite is. There are over 80 bead-related terms for you to browse.

Note: Some of the definitions and descriptions used here are copyright 1995 by Ornamental Resources, Incorporated. We are grateful for their permission to quote from their catalog to create this feature. This information may not be reproduced or distributed for financial gain or included in commercial collections or compilations without express permission from Ornamental Resources, Inc., P.O. Box 3010WW, Idaho Springs CO 80452. Visitors are permitted to print out this section for personal use only.

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Calcite is a sedimentary mineral and the main component of limestone. It is found in many colors including red, orange, green, honey and blue.

In Eastern cultures, carnelian is favored as promoting strength. A stone of ambition and drive, it is said to help the wearer make choices and decisions. Carnelian stimulates analytical capabilities and precision and stimulates your curiosity and inquisitiveness. Long revered for its healing, spiritual and creative qualities, carnelian is said to protect the user from all negative emotions.

Regular, smooth seed beads, usually in size 13, with one facet. Typically made in Czechoslovakia. Also known as "one-cut."

Multiple layers of different colored glass laid down in corrugated layers so as to form a starburst pattern when viewed on end.

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 These beads are typically 100-300 old, originally made in Venice and Spain for African trade.

Chrysocolla is a mineral with veins of blue-green color found throughout the Southwest, as well as in Mexico and Peru.

Hand carved lacquered wood, usually in red, made in China.

Citrine is a type of quartz with brownish to yellow colors. Because of its similar appearance, it is sometimes called false topaz. Citrine's sunny yellow name is derived from the French word for lemons, or citron. Believed to have protective qualities, citrine was worn by ancient people to ward off evil.

Beads made out of coconut shells.

Coral, whose name is derived from the Greek koralion which means "pebble" was highly treasured by the Greeks for its beauty. It was found among the personal possessions of the Egyptians and Babylonians and in Neolithic graves of Europe dating back 10,000 years. Varied in color from pale to deep red, coral represents the 35th wedding anniversary and is thought to protect against magic spells, cure madness, and bestow wisdom. In many countries, coral is given to children as a gift for their protection, a tradition dating back to Ancient Romans. The Spanish used it to protect their babies from the "evil eye" and tied a small piece of coral to their cribs or around their necks. The Indians of New Mexico and Arizona believed coral brought good luck, long life and virility to the wearer and treasured it as much as gold. It is believed that the deeper red coral is in color, the more potency it will have. The wearing of red coral is said to increase vitality, courage and the ability to work on endeavors through to their fruition. The coral beads we use are derived from coral farms so as not to harm our natural reefs.

Small metal bead use to end pieces stranded in tiger tail.

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).

Glass with at least 30% lead, in order to produce a highly refractive quality.