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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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. "Delica" is a trade mark of Miyuki Shoji Corp. Toho Corp. manufactures similar beads named "Antiques".

The strongest and most brilliant of gemstones, the diamond's name is thought to derive from adamas, Greek for "invincible." Diamonds are believed to drive away devils and were the object of desire of kings for centuries. One legend states that the protective magic in diamonds is only present when the stone is offered as a gift or a token to another - perhaps the basis for the tradition of using diamonds in engagement rings.

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.

Round, smooth, glass beads.