Types of beads - different categories

Beads types can be described and named from different angles. They could be categorised based on such criteria: •
material • shape • production process • origin • surface pattern • fashion trends.

Types of beads - by material

Gemstone beads (semi-precious beads) Gemstone beads, also called semi-precious beads
can include natural gemstone, enhanced gemstone or manmade reconstructed materials.
Available in various shapes and sizes.

Most common being the round shape with size 4mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm and 12mm.

There are different shapes to choose from including just mentioned smooth round, chips and nuggets
of semiprecious stones (e.g. amethyst, jade, agate) that are irregular in shape.

Natural pearls and shells Natural pearls can be saltwater or freshwater cultured pearls

which are made into beads. Natural pearls are usually pink, peach or mauve in colour, whilst white pearls are usually an
off white or creamy colour. Glass pearls are also available which imitate the appearance of pearls whilst maintaining
consistency in size, colour, shape and finish.

Glass beads First glass beads came to existence 3500 years ago in Egypt. At that time it

was possible to make clear and colourful but not transparent glass beads. Nowadays a variety of glass beads is much
greater. Most popular being seed bead from Japan (companies like TOHO or Miyuki), lampwork beads from Italy (Venice
and Murano islands), crystal-like beads from Swarovski, glass pearl (imitation of natural pearls) from China.

Wooden beads Wooden beads In the modern production of beads, wooden ones are pretty common. There are a few
types of wood being used for wood beads production purposes • Greywood • Jackfruit (Asia) • Oak (Europe) •
Rosewood (Philippines) • Patikan (Philippines) • Bayong (Philippines) • Palmwood

Crystal Beads (Swarovski) Crystals are crystal beads made out of leaded glass and have a high shine. They are
usually faceted for additional shine. The most commonly known crystals are Swarovski Elements but there are Czech
crystals too which are of good quality at a cheaper price. Often used for wedding dresses and tiaras, crystal beads are
most commonly used for special pieces of jewellery. Clear crystals are often known as rhinestones and can be purchased
in a setting (chatons).

Bugle Beads Bugle beads are tubular in shape and are cut to various lengths. The bugle beads
are part of the seed bead group as they are available in very small sizes and are really useful for
creating delicate seed bead jewellery. There are plenty of bugle beads available in different
colours, finishes and twists. They are sized in length by using the numbers 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3 and 5
with 0.5 being the shortest. The diameter of a size 2 and 3 is equivalent to a size 11 seed beads.

Chatons & Rivoli Chatons are crystal beads that are faceted, with a pointed back and foiling to
reflect their sparkle. Rivoli crystals are circular and feature smooth facets that come to a point in the middle, on the
front and back of the crystal. They do not have a threading hole so are primarily used to glue into a setting or base, or
they are bezelled using seed beads.

Delica Beads (Miyuki) Delicas are small, perfectly cylindrical modern Japanese glass beads with
thin walls and large holes. They are manufactured by Miyuki. They come in 2 sizes; a size 11 and a size 8 (often known as
a double delica). Delicas are the best choice for bead weaving (on or off loom) and beadwork patterns such as peyote,
brick stitch and square stitch as they lie beautifully flat.

Faceted Beads These are beads that are cut to produce multiple flat faces that create a
sparkling effect. Faceted beads are often made of glass, such as fire polished beads, bicones and
rondelles. Flatbacks Flatbacks are crystals set on one flat side so they can be glued on. You can
also obtain iron-on flatbacks for garments, also known as hotfix.
 Rondelles These beads are more compressed than a round bead so are great as spacers.
They come in all finishes and sizes. We even sell a rondelle set with crystals.

Seed Beads These beads are very short pieces of chopped glass cane that are heated until
they form smooth shapes, usually round (rocailles, see above). The most commonly
available are Chinese, Czech or Japanese. Japanese are top quality and very consistent,

Czech middle quality and Chinese are cheap irregular beads. Also in the seed bead family
are Delica beads, square beads, triangle beads, bugle beads and hex bead.

Rocaille/ Round Beads Rocailles are round seed beads. They are commonly sold in size 15
(smallest) to size 3 (largest). These are often used for stitched beadwork but they also make great spacer beads to use in
stringing projects. Toho and Miyuki manufacture the best quality rocailles which are very consistent in quality, size,
shape and colour.

Shamballa Style Beads These beads have a clay base with many Czech crystals set closely
together over the surface to create a really sparkly, eye-catching bead. These beads are commonly used to create
shamballa style bracelets using the macrame technique of square knotting between each bead.

Other Bead Types

Hex-Cut Beads are Japanese glass beads cut from a six –sided cane. They come in sizes 8, 11 and 12.

Lampworked beads are handmade one at a time by melting slender glass rods with a flame torch. The hot glass is
carefully wrapped around a coated wire, which, when removed, forms the hole of the bead. These beads can be made
with many different colours and layers of glass and may be highly decorated.

Shell beads are small discs or short tubes cut from natural shell material.

Charlottes are Czech seed beads with one or two small flat facets ground onto their surfaces.

CloisonnÈ beads are made of enamel fired on a background, usually metal, to produce a mosaic or stained-glass effect.
These beads are highly decorative and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Crow beads are large beads shaped like seed beads. Sometimes mistakenly called pony beads, they are commonly made
of glass, plastic or wood and are larger than pony beads.

Liquid beads (silver/ gold) are very fine tubes of silver they look

Pony beads are shaped like seed beads but are larger and most commonly made of wood or plastic, but can be made of
glass. Pressed glass beads are formed into special shapes made by passing thick molten rods of glass by hand through an
automatic pressing machine.

Three-cuts are Czech beads with irregular facets all over their surface.