| Aurora Borealis | (abbreviated AB) A name for faceted glass beads that have an added iridescent coating. Also, a multi-color-producing light coating on part of beads. |
| Crimp Bead | Small, soft metal beads that are squeezed shut to secure loops of threading material fasteners onto clasps. |
| Dichroic | A mineral that exhibits one color when viewed from one angle but a different color when viewed from a different. In beads it usually gives them a shimmery, iridescent, metallic look like molten metal. This is glass which has been coated on one side with metal oxide layers. These oxides are vaporized and deposited on the glass surface in a vacuum chamber, by heating the metal oxides between 1,000 & 2,500 degrees Celsius. The thickness of each layer is precisely calculated within five millionths of an inch. By building up multiple layers of different oxides, a wide range of reflected and transmitted colors are produced. Dichroic means two color, and each piece of this glass will reflect two different colors, depending on the angle light strikes it. Because of the specialized manufacturing, this glass can cost ten times more than plain glass. Dichroic glass is used in torch work to form beads. |
| Gemstone | A natural gemstone is a mineral, stone, or organic matter that can be cut and polished or otherwise treated for use as jewelry or other ornament. A precious gemstone has brilliance, beauty, durability and rarity, whereas a semi-precious gemstone has only one or two of these qualities. A gem is a gemstone that has been cut and polished. Diamond, corundum (ruby and sapphire), beryl (emerald and aquamarine), opal and topaz are generally classed as precious stones. All other gemstones are usually classed as semi-precious. |
| Hematite | Occurrence: England, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Brazil, New Zealand and the U.S. Appearance: Metallic grey, or black-gray, black or brownish red. When cut very thin, it is red and transparent. The common name "bloodstone", is the same as heliotrope because it bleeds when it is cut. Enhancements: Hematite is not enhanced. The term "enhancement" is defined to be any treatment process other than cutting and polishing that improves the appearance (color/clarity/phenomena), durability, or availability of a gemstone. Composition: Composed of iron and oxygen (FE2O3). Also known as “red iron ore”. Its name comes from a Greek word “haimatitis”, which means blood-red because of the red color. It appears to be silver as the stone reflects light on its surface after being polished. |
| India glass | Glass beads made in India. |
| Lampwork | A form of glassblowing where the glass is heated over a flame. Originally from the Middle Ages, the term lampwork referred to oil lamps with a blowpipe directed into the flame to increase the heat generated. Today, modern torches use propane, natural gas, or hydrogen mixed with compressed air or pure oxygen to generate the intense heat required. |
| Memory Wire | Base metal wire which retains a coiled shape. |
| Millifiori | In Italian it means “thousand flowers”. It is the proper name for "mosaic" beads. The pattern goes back to the Byzantine era. |
| Miracle Beads | Very bright Japanese beads made from a fiberglass-like material. |
| Mohs Scale | Mohs scale is the most commonly used scale of relative hardness of minerals. The hardness of a gemstone is its resistance to scratching and may be described relative to a standard scale of 10 minerals known as the Mohs scale. F. Mohs, an Austrian mineralogist, developed this scale in 1822. The division in this scale is not equal, having been chosen arbitrarily by Mohs. The difference between 9 and 8 is considerably greater than between any of the lower numbers, and the difference between 10 and 9 is even greater than between 9 and 1. The Mohs scale is strictly a relative one in which any mineral higher on the scale scratches those that are lower. For example, in actual hardness, the diamond has been found to be up to 150 times as hard as corundum, the next lower on this scale.According to scale, the hardness in order is:1- Talc 2 - Gypsum 3 - Calcite 4 - Fluorite 5 – Apatite 5.5-6.5 HEMATITE 6 - Feldspar 7 - Quartz 8 - Topaz 9 - Sapphire 10 – Diamond |
| Refractance | Refractance is the amount of shine or light reflection an item produces. Refractance in a faceted bead is determined by the way it is cut, the precision in that cutting according to exacting quantifiable formulas. |
| Semi-Precious | See Gemstone |
| Split Ring | Small base metal finding resembling a key-ring |
| Sterling Silver | 925 parts silver, legal standard. 800 or less amount of silver is known as silver parts, as marked on the jewelry, not sterling silver. |
| Venetian Beads | Glass from Murano (http://goeurope.miningco.com/travel/goeurope/library/venice/aa040797.htm) can be admired in the delicate lattice-work and mosaics of handcrafted beads. The ancient technique of glass blowing was discovered by the Phoenicians and practiced by the Egyptians, Syrians and Romans. It was then refined in Venice over one thousand years ago. Because of its glass blowing the Venetian Republic and its island of Murano enjoyed certain liberties given it by the ruling class. By the end of the13th century, the Serenissima Republic had all the furnices operating in the city of Venice moved to the the island of Murano. Murano became a true industrial district and grew to become the capital of glass production in the world. The island still operates today in the way it did ages ago, making the best, hardest glass in the world. The modern glass-masters still practice the ancient Roman and Byzantine skills along with new inventions of shapes and colors. These secrets are guarded and handed down from father to son. |
| Vintage Beads | These are beads that were made in the past and are no longer in production. Their style and/or color are not presently being manufactured. |