I have compiled a comprehensive glossary of terms related to the items I sell and their features. I hope that this will answer any questions you might have on specific terminology and improve your overall knowledge of the items I carry. Let me know if you would like me to add or research any new terms.
A thin iridescent metallic coating applied to glass beads that reflects usually green, blue or pink.
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A glassy thermoplastic; can be cast and molded or used in coatings and adhesives.
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A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.
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Metal that has been through an electrochemical process which changes the molecular structure of the surface layer, giving it a thin, protective film, usually in a specific metallic color; a process where an electric current is run through a metal to change its color.
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A type of jewelry finish that makes a new piece look aged – in most cases, with an appealingly tarnished or darkened appearance.
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Two-piece clasps that open when you push down on the exterior lever of a wedge-shaped piece of metal, compressing it so that it slides out of the opening. Push it back in and it clicks into place.
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A yellowish alloy of copper and zinc, sometimes including small amounts of other metals, but usually 67 percent copper and 33 percent zinc.
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A gemstone cut with triangular facets into the shape of a teardrop or elongated pendant.
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Have many v-shaped cuts around the bead with an antique silver edging, similar in appearance to a bead cap, at each end.
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Sometimes referred to as fiber-optic beads, change hue as they capture and reflect light and have a band of light running through the center that resembles a cat’s eye
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When the bead is hot, it’s cooled suddenly which makes it crack. The bead is now too fragile, so it is carefully reheated until the outer surface melts and creates a strong outer coating that will hold the bead together.
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A faceted bead is a crystal. The variations are the cuts, the lead content, and the polishing method.
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“Fire-polished” beads are faceted glass beads made in the Czech Republic. They are faceted by machine and then drawn through ovens to make the surfaces molten, and thus shiny when the beads cool.
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A variety of seed bead that is small and perfectly cylindrical, so they easily snap into place in peyote and brick stitch beadwork. Delica is actually a brand name, made by Miyuki.
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Six-sided bead, as opposed to smooth.
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A Czech word for pressed glass.
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The process of fusing colored glass or other very hard compounds onto the metal to provide color that is not usually found in alloys of the base metal.
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A chain, which may be attached to another chain in order to increase the length
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The term used to describe ornamental work especially of fine wire of gold, silver, or copper applied chiefly to gold and silver surfaces. These intricate patterns typically resemble rosettes, spirals, or vines.
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The components that jewelry makers use to assemble their jewelry and include items such as clasps, earring backs and hooks.
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A thin leaf of sheet copper silvered and burnished, and afterwards coated with transparent colors mixed with isinglass; — employed by jewelers to give color or brilliancy to pastes and inferior stones.
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A natural or cultured pearl that grew inside of a freshwater mollusk.
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A freshwater cultured pearl with a crinkled surface and elongated shape, such that it resembles a grain of rice
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Made using traditional glassworking techniques from Italy that are more often used to make art glass objects. The manufacture of these beads requires a large glass furnace and annealing kiln.
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A man-made pearl that is made of glass and is coated with nacre, the same material that coats a genuine pearl.
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A black finish that is created from heat treatment and chemical baths to form a black oxide coating on metal.
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A variable color averaging a moderate to reddish purple.
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Versatile South African off-loom bead technique, feels like snakeskin and has a visible chevron pattern, also called “Ndebele stitch”.
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Fish hook, s-hook and hook-and-eye clasps secure necklaces using hooks.
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An optical phenomenon characterized as the property of surfaces in which hue changes according to the angle from which the surface is viewed (as may be seen of soap bubbles and butterfly wings).
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Put through a process of applying color then sealed with several coats of polyurethane
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A small oval or round wire ring used to link two or more jewelry components. They can be “open” (usually) or “closed”. The open rings have a break in the wire allowing you to gently twist it open.
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Made by using a torch to heat a rod of glass and spinning the resulting thread around a metal rod covered in bead release. When the base bead has been formed, other colors of glass can be added to the surface to create many designs
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These volcanic rock beads were melted at a very high temperature and stabilized to hold the stone together. Volcanic rock is a natural stone.
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Lead crystal beads (Swarovski) -
Cut crystal beads made with hi-tech precise machinery. Thanks to this state of the art machine cut processing the crystal items achieve outstanding geometry and excellent optical parameters. Many lead crystal beads are enhanced with surface coatings. Aurora Borealis, or AB, is a very common surface coating that diffuses light into a rainbow. Other common surface coatings are vitrail, moonlight, dorado, satin, star shine, and heliotrope.
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Has a tiny spring in its mechanism that keeps the arm closed until you push on the lever. Lobster claws are secure clasps that are a popular for bracelets, necklaces and anklets. They’re somewhat easier to open and close by yourself than spring ring clasps are.
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A transparent thermoplastic acrylic resin.
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Brilliance or radiance of light; brightness.
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The property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss.
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A Spanish word for Miracle, found in many areas of Latin America, are used by the people to petition saints for help or protection. In many of the churches, one can see wooden statues of various saints, the Virgin Mary, or of Christ. On these figures, the people often pin small metal images of arms, legs, animals, praying figures or other symbols of their prayers. These little metal charms or sacred milagros serve to remind the saint of the person’s prayers or to thank the saint for prayers that have been answered. Each Milagro is specially made for a unique purpose, so the variety is enormous, and deeply personal.
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Round bead, containing a mysteriously moving cats-eye like lustre change through its waistline.
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Make opalescent; like an opal.
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Not reflecting light; having no luster.
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An alloy containing tin, lead, and sometimes copper and antimony.
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Used to make a “fabric” of beads by weaving them together in hand (no loom is used) in an offset row method. When completed, no thread shows between the bead or row, thus creating an erstwhile “fabric” of beads. Thread is visible along the edge of the work, however. The bead holes are lined up end-to-end in this stitch, as opposed to end-up, as in the similar-looking Brick stitch.
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A sculpting material which can be formed into shapes and then baked to harden. Polymer clay is available in most craft stores in a wide range of colors, and can be used to make beads and pendants.
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A white hard metallic element that is one of the platinum group and is found in platinum ores; used in alloys with platinum.
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A circular jewel or jeweled ring.
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A term used to describe a wide variety of small beads, round or cylindrical in shape and often used in bead weaving techniques, loom weaving, beaded flower making, wire work, and as spacers in bead stringing projects.
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The process of covering a base metal with a thin film of gold or silver by setting it in a chemical solution through which an electric current flows to coat it with precious metal. Items treated in this way are known simply as “gold plated” or “silver plated”. TIP: The gold or silver applied is generally only a few microns thick so care should be taken to not polish plated items too vigorously.
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Consists of a set of tubes, one of which slides inside the other and locks into place. The bar style of these multi-strand clasps holds an almost unlimited number of strands of chain, cord, beading wire or thread.
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Two-piece clasps that are attached to opposite ends of a piece of jewelry. One section of the clasp is formed into a circle or other shape with an open center. The other half is a thick bar that attaches to the components at the other end. When you insert the “T” into the circle extends past the circle’s edges to hold the jewelry in place.
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In the collectibles & antique market, is a term used to refer to an item that is 25 or more years old. This term and its meaning has been widely adopted in the bead industry as well. Vintage beads are available in a variety of materials including lucite, plastic, crystal, metal and glass.
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A metalized partial coating applied to glass beads that produce a gold or silver metallic finish.
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