General Beading Terms

                                                                        Bail                    Filigree Bead Caps                       Headpins                       Lobster Clasp                    Jump Ring

Bail- a wire or piece of formed metal which attaches to a pendant and is used to hang the pendant from a necklace.

Barrel Clasp- a clasp consisting of two parts that screw together which is usually used to secure necklaces & bracelets.

Base Metal- a non-precious metal which could be any of a variety of metals such as copper, nickel, brass etc.

Bead Tip- a metal finding used to hide knots on string or filament of necklace. Also known as "End Cap"

Filigree- delicate, open metalwork most common on round beads and bead caps

Findings- any of a number of different, metal pieces used in jewelry making such as spacers, jump rings, head pins etc.

French hook- shape of metal finding used in earrings

Head Pin- metal finding consisting of a straight metal wire with a flat head at one end; used to attach beads to jewelry projects and as a dangle

Jig- a tool consisting of a board with moveable pegs used to shape and bend wire

Jump Ring- a round or oval finding used to join two or more pieces of a jewelry project together; can be open or soldered closed.

Leverback- a type of earring finding

Lobster Clasp- a metal closure for jewelry projects which is shaped like a lobster claw

Memory Wire- a special, base metal wire which is made to retain a coiled shape through a hardening process; this

                       wire is usually plastic coated and comes in a number of colors besides silver or gold tones

Sterling Silver Plate or Silver plate- a base metal finding which has a heavy electroplating of sterling silver then

                        lacquered to retard oxidation

Split Ring- a round finding usually consisting of one and a half to two completed circles to form an overlap thereby

                        creating a strong piece which is used to join other findings or chain

Sterling Silver- 92.5% silver and 7.2% base metal which is usually copper

Surgical Steel- a non-allergenic, stainless steel which is a non-plated, natural dark gray color

Spring Ring Clasp-  a round, closure finding shaped like a ring with a moveable lever on it which opens and closes the ring

                              to allow connection to a loop on the other end of the jewelry project

Toggle Clasp- a metal closure consisting of a bar which fits inside a matching circle

Bead Terms & Types

                                                                   Rectangle                          Square                    Diamond Briolette          Cylindrical                                      Round

Bicone- a bead shaped like to pyramids glued together by their bases      

Briolette- a pear shaped, facetted bead which is tip drilled

Button- a bead which is usually slightly raised on one side and slightly indented on the other side (like a button);

             these beads can be side drilled, center drilled or not drilled at all for use with a bezel

Bugle- a thin, tubular bead of various sizes which are drilled lengthwise and come in both smooth & ridged form

Cabochon- a bead or stone, usually round or oval, with a flat back and a rounded, dome top

Cameo- a pendant of stone, glass or resin made up of two different colored layers with one layer being carved

               and raised sitting on the other "background" layer. 

Cloisonné- an enamelled metal bead with a thin strand of metal separating each color

Chevron- glass beads which are made with multiple layers of different color glass form a starburst pattern when 

              seen from the ends. 

Christmas Beads- small, multi-color striped beads usually between 3 to 5mm in size (look like Christmas candy)

Coin- a flat or puffed round (circle) bead which is side drilled. Also called "Lentil" bead

Cone- a bead which tapers from a wide base to a narrow or pointed end

Corrugated- bead with ridged or grooved surface. When the grooves run the length of the bead, it is referred

                     to as fluted. 

Cube- a three dimensional shape with six equal sides (like a box)

Crimp Bead- a small metal bead/tube used to hold other beads in place through a "crimping" process of

                     squashing the crimp bead. Usually used as finishing at the ends of a project but also used between

                     beads on "floating" necklaces.

Crystal- glass beads with at least 30% lead; lead is used to give a highly refractive quality to the bead

Dichroic- beads made with glass that has a thin film of metal fused to the surface of the glass. The resulting

                product, whether made by pressing or lampworking, is a bead with a metallic sheen that fluctuates

               between two colors as the bead is angled different ways.

Disk- a flat or puffed, round bead like a coin bead but center drilled. Also known as a donut, wheel, wafer or spacer.

Dog Bone- a bead which is wider on both ends and thinner in the center. Also called barbell beads

Drum- a thick tube bead with flattened ends. Also called a barrel bead

Facetted- a bead or stone with a number of small, flat cut surfaces which are made to give a sparkling effect

                and accent the brilliance of a stone.

Fetish- a bead shaped like an animal which supposedly has spiritual powers

Filigree- delicate open metalwork; usually found on bead caps and round or cylindrical beads

Fire Polish- a technique used to give a clean, smooth, polished look to a bead

Foiled- a clear or translucent bead which has foil embedded below the surface. Also called "foil lined"

Heishe- (pronounced hee-shee) traditionally, small disk or tube beads usually from natural shell which is shaped

                flat grinding.  Also known today as wheel, donut or spacer beads

Lampwork- handmade glass beads by melting glass on a central rod by the heat of a gas burner and shaping the

               bead. Often,  the beads are layered with other colors in a raised pattern.

Lentil- another term used to describe a coin bead; they are sometimes a bit thinner with the edges tapered to a

              point.

Millefiori- literally translated means " 1000 flowers" in Italian. Refers to beads made by a process of multicolor

               glass rods  being sliced into a plain glass core while the glass is hot thereby forming mosaic like patterns

Pressed Glass- beads made by a technique of pressing heated glass into molds to shape them

Rondelle- a flattened, round bead with a center hole (looks like a life-saver candy)

Round - a shape of bead which is generally spherical; may be facetted or smooth

Saucer - shaped like a flying saucer being round, higher in the center tapering to a very narrow edge; center drilled.

Seed - refers to a type of very small beads, usually 1mm to less than 3mm in thickness; usually round or cylindrical.

Tube - a shape of beads which are usually long, thin cylinders

Teardrop - a bead with one wide, rounded end and one narrow pointed end that resembles a falling tear or rain

             drop; beads are usually three dimensional but can be flattened, puffed or facetted; can be top to bottom

            drilled or dip drilled. Also called drops, pears or briolettes.

Wafer- another name for a disk bead.

Beadalon Tips

Zodiac

What is a "Pandora Bracelet"?

    The word "Pandora" refers to the name of the Danish company which created this style of bracelet. The lure of this bracelet is not only the look of the bracelet but also the ease in making the finished product. The original Pandora bracelets were made with large holed, silver lined beads and charms which were threaded onto a special, patented wire. Nowadays, there are many other similar, beads made from sterling silver, silver plate, Murano glass, lamp work glass or precious stones. These beads are usually threaded onto a silver or gold metal chain, alternating with metal spacers or charms, and worn as a bracelet.

What is a "Boho Jewelry"?

    The term "Boho" is actually a shortened form of the word Bohemian and, in terms of jewelry, refers to a style that is reminiscent of the late 1960's and early 1970's. Pieces are very diverse in shape and technique but all tend to incorporate natural materials ranging from wood to shell to beach glass. Necklaces tend to be layered and often, though not always, full while bracelets range from simple to very heavy and chunky.