Glass Bead Types & Finishes

The best way to get a feel for the types of glass beads and their finishes is to visit a bead store and examine the beads. However, not everyone has a bead store nearby and even if they do, the store probably doesn't carry all of the different finishes. Here's a written description of the types and finishes. The 'type' refers to the bead itself or to a coating or effect in the hole of the bead. Finishes are applied to the outside of the bead surface. Many beads have combination finishes (e.g., matte rainbow has had the shine removed and then a rainbow coating has been applied).

Glass Bead Types

Bead Type	Appearance
Agate	Made to look like the gemstone agate. The glass has white swirled with color.
Charlotte	Beads have a single cut on one side of the bead which gives them a bit of sparkle. Most commonly found in size 13, although other sizes are available, too.
Color Lined	Transparent beads with an opaque color 'lining' inside the hole of the bead. The color may be scratched off by the stringing material over time and certain colors will fade.
Cut	Usually refers to hex cut, also called 3-cut or 6-cut, in which the bead has been cut to form a hexagon.
Gilt Lined	Inside of the bead has a golden (not real gold) lining.
Gold Lined	Inside of the bead has a gold lining.
Inside Color	Transparent beads that have had an opaque color applied to the inside of the bead. Also called color lined.
Opal	Semi-translucent glass that transmits light but is milky. Good opal glass has a bit of glow to it.
Opaque	Opaque glass transmits no light. Opaque glass has a dull gloss, although surface treatments are often applied (e.g., matte, rainbow).
Satin	Satin glass has a layered or satin-like appearance. The exact color depends on the viewing angle.
Silky	Silky beads, like satin, may have a striated, satiny appearance.
Silver Lined (s/l)	These transparent beads that have been lined with silver. The silver lining is much harder to mar than a color lining.
Tortoise Shell	Two or more colors of glass swirled together to produce a bead which appears to have been made from tortoiseshell, although the term is also applied to non-tortoise colors, too.
Transparent or Translucent (trans)	Transparent glass transmits light through the bead - you could read through it (like a window). Translucent glass transmits light, but you can't see through it clearly (like ground glass)..
White Heart	White hearts may be any degree of transparency, but have an inner core of white glass. The bead hole is always lined with white.

Glass Bead Finishes

Bead Finish	Appearance
Aurora Borealis - AB	Permanent rainbow finish which can be applied to any color or type of glass bead. The finish is applied to one side of the bead only. The AB finish can be scratched, but should not rub off under normal wear.
Bronze	Bronze beads are coated with gold mixed with other materials and then baked on so that the finish resembles bronze.
Ceylon	Transparent/translucent lustered beads. The finish has a pearlized appearance.
Galvanized	Beads plated with zinc in either a shiny or matte finish. The zinc coating tends not to be durable and can rub off during beading. The beads may be coated with an acrylic spray to help stabilize the finish.
Ghost	A finish combining matte and aurora norealis or rainbow.
Glow	A gossamer finish over a transparent bead which results in a golden glow over the color.
Gold Luster	Transparent beads that have been lustered with a gold finish, creating subtle gold highlights on the bead.
Higher Metallic	Beads that are surface coated with gold and then sprayed with oxidized titanium.
Iris	Iridescent permanent coating applied to a glass bead giving it a rainbowed metallic appearance.
Luster or Lustre	Uniform, shiny finish on the surface of a transparent, translucent or opaque bead. The coating may be white, colored or metallic. The beads tend to have a pearled look.
Marea	One-half gold with a rainbow finish over the gold half.
Matte	Treatment that results in a velvety, non-reflective, frosted appearance.
Metallic	Glass beads with a metal-like surface coating, usually from being heated and then sprayed with oxidized tin. Thicker coatings results in darker finishes. Metallic coatings may rub off or change color.
Mottle	Opaque glass with a marbled gold wash.
Painted/Dyed	Treated with surface colorants that have been applied after the bead is made, usually involving application of pigment and then baking. The term 'dyed' tends to be used with tranparent beads; 'painted' refers to opaque beads. Strong UV light (as from fluorescent bulbs) or sunlight may cause fading. Some dyes will change color or wash off upon exposure to solvents, such as water or alcohol.
Pearl	This term is often used to describe opaque lustered beads.
Plated	Nickel plated beads are plated with nickel, gold plated beads are plated with gold (karat will be specified), etc.
Rainbow	Permanent, translucent, iridescent coating. Usually applied over the entire surface of the bead.
Raku	Matte vitrial finish.
Scarabee	Aurora borealis finish applied over the entire surface area of bead.
Semi-Matte	Matte but with a light polish. Not as shiny as regular opaque.
Supra Metallic	Baked-on metallic finish with a slightly matte appearance. More durable than sprayed on metallic coating.
Supra Pearl	Baked-on pearl finish with a slightly matte appearance.
Vitrial or Vitrail	One-half silver with a rainbow finish over the silver half. Different rainbow coatings are available.

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