






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





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
Here are some tips for the use of Beadalon®...
|
Diameter |
Uses |
| 0.010" | Good for small seed beads & bead weaving |
| 0.012"-0.013" | Use with larger seed beads, crystals and fresh water pearls |
| 0.015"-0.018" | Most commonly used size; great for most glass, metal and ceramic beads |
| 0.020"-0.021" | Used with heavier beads such as large glass, natural stone or some metal beads |
| 0.024"-0.026" | Excellent for all heavy, and large hole beads |
Artistic™ Wire — Flexible, Bendable, Shapeable
|
When discussing gauge, lower numbers are a thicker wire, 20 gauge is thicker than 26. |
Wire Size Guide |
|
|
|
The higher the number, the smaller the wire. |
Gauge |
Millimeters |
Inches |
|
|
30 | 0.255 | 0.0100 |
|
|
28 | 0.321 | 0.0126 |
|
|
26 | 0.405 | 0.0159 |
|
|
24 | 0.511 | 0.0201 |
|
|
22 | 0.642 | 0.0253 |
|
|
20 | 0.812 | 0.0320 |
|
|
18 | 1.024 | 0.0403 |
Birthstone Information
|
|
Traditional |
Modern |
| January | Garnet- deep red stone | Garnet- deep red stone |
| February | Amethyst- varies from light to deep reddish purple | Amethyst- varies from light to deep reddish purple |
| March | Bloodstone- opaque green stone with red spots | Aquamarine- clear, brilliant pale blue |
| April | Diamond- crystal clear gemstone | Diamond- crystal clear gemstone |
| May | Emerald- deep green color | Emerald- deep green color |
| June | Alexandrite-color ranges from bluish green to bluish purple to purplish red | Pearl- luminescent white or off white; sometimes found in shades of grays, pinks and greens |
| July | Ruby- a medium red stone | Ruby- a medium red stone |
| August | Sardonyx-opaque black | Peridot- a brilliant, light green |
| September | Sapphire- deep blue with shot of light in the Star Sapphire | Sapphire- deep blue |
| October | Tourmaline- ranges from pink to green | Opal- translucent with flashes of pinks, greens & blues; can be white, deep blue, light aqua or fiery orange |
| November | Citrine- pale to medium gold color | Topaz- a rich golden yellow |
| December | Turquoise- rich greenish blue color with dark veining | Turquoise- rich greenish blue color with dark veining |
Zodiac
| Sign | Birthstone | Description |
| Aquarius- January 22-February 18 | Amethyst | varies from light to deep reddish purple |
| Pisces- February 19- March 20 | Aquamarine | clear, brilliant pale blue |
| Aries- March 21- April 19 | Diamond | crystal clear gemstone |
| Taurus- April 20- May 20 | Emerald | deep green color |
| Gemini- May 21- June 20 | Crystal | brilliant, clear stone |
| Cancer- June 21- July 22 | Pearl | luminescent white or off white; sometimes found in shades of grays, pinks and greens |
| Leo- July 23- August 22 | Onyx | opaque black |
| Virgo- August 23- September 22 | Sapphire | deep blue with shot of light in the Star Sapphire |
| Libra- September 23- October 23 | Opal | translucent with flashes of pinks, greens & blues; can be white, deep blue, light aqua or fiery orange |
| Scorpio- October 24 - November 21 | Zircon | blue-white gem; also tinted to pale yellow, pink, greens and blues |
| Sagittarius- November 22- December 21 | Turquoise | rich greenish blue color with dark veining |
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.


