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Beaders begin as buyers. Let's first get the terminology for our beads before we move onto articles on what to do past coveting them!

Bead Shapes
Barrel longer than wide, cylindrical shaped, bows out slightly in the middle
Bicone one faceted "cone" on top of the other, connected at the bases and apexes at opposite sides.
Briolette teardrop shaped bead that is drilled across the "tip" of the drop

Coin circular and almost flat, drilled through the length of the bead
Cube drilled through the center
Disk- circular and completely flat, drilled through the center
Donut larger disk bead that is relatively flat with a large hole in the middle.
Drop tear drop shaped bead that is drilled from top to bottom
Heishi- (originally meaning "shell) traditionally flat irregular pieces drilled through the center. Now a series of 2-4mm wide tubes of varying lengths are also referred to as Heishi
Melon- shape between a round and rondelle with grooves from the top to the bottom
Nugget an organic shaped bead
Rhombus- cube drilled from one corner to the opposite corner
Round
Rondelle Circular and almost flat (like a tire) drilled through the center of the bead
Seed tiny beads, usually round or barrel shaped
Tablet rectangle drilled through the length of the bead
Tube Completely cylindrical, drilled through the center

There are also top-drilled beads in bicone, coin, round and nuggets

Pearl shapes (in addition to those listed above, these are pearl specific)
Baroque irregular, organic look off a basic roundish shape.
Biwa/stick most stick pearls- long and flat, often with heavy ridges- are labeled Biwa pearls. Biwa is a specific site where they originally were found.
Button flat on one side, domed on the other
Off-round not quite perfectly round, but not so off to be deemed a potato.
Potato most common freshwater pearl sold; roundish- ovalish, often with grooves running around it.
Round perfectly rounds are found in cultured pearls

Other shapes are cause by specifically shaped implants such as hearts, crosses, etc.
*see my article on pearls

Textures
Smooth
Faceted face of the bead is chipped at angles to reflect light, done either by machine or by hand.
Rough usually used for stones, non-polished, natural state
Puff when a shape domes out more than a subtle amount
Etched usually in bone, a design is scratched into the material
Cloisonn metal interior and tiny metal partitions keep the color of the glass in place.
Enamel painted onto a metal bead, often to have the look of cloisonn.
Matte- a non-shiny finish as on some types of African glass beads

*For info on tools, see my article under "Essential jewelry making tools for beginners"

Learn more about this author, Karey Grant.
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