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Form
of Beads
Beads come in all types of materials, shapes,
sizes and colors. The most common materials are
gemstones, glass, plastic, metal and wood; the
shapes can be round, oval, square, nugget or cylindrical.
The textures vary from smooth to faceted, fluted,
carved or inlaid with other materials. Colors
range from the snowiest white to the deepest jet
black, with the offering of the rainbow, in between.
Natural and manmade gemstone, as well as metal
beads, are the most popular beads for stringing,
therefore some discussion is in order as to the
sizes, colors and styles available, and also some
help in determining just how many will be required
for a given project.
Gemstones
Gemstones are usually available on temporarily
strung strands, although the specially items,
such as cloisonné, are generally sold in small
quantities or singly. The quality of the gemstones
depends upon the material composition, as well
as the source (origin) of the bead. When selecting
your beads, ensure that all of the beads of the
same type and size are uniform in shape and size,
that the boreholes have been evenly drilled, and
that the beads themselves are free from structural
flaws, such as chips or cracks.
The range of colours available is staggering and
the following table lists easily available gemstones.
Gemstone and Their Colors
| GEMSTONE |
COLOR |
| Abalone |
Irridescent
colors |
| Amethyst |
Lavender |
| Black
jade |
Black
-dyed serpentine |
| Black
onyx |
Black
agate |
| Blue
lace agate |
Banded
Light blue |
| Blue
onyx |
Med
blue-dyed agate |
| Botswana
agate |
Pink,
grey and lavenders |
| Carnelian |
Orange-red,
translucent |
| Citrine |
Light
to golden yellow |
| Coral |
Red,
white, pink or orange |
| Crystal |
White,
clear or frosted |
| Fossil |
Grey/white,
natural or dyed any color |
| Garnet |
Wine
reds |
| Goldstone |
Brown
with metallic flecks |
| Green
moss agate |
Tramslucent
background with moss- like inclusions |
| Hematite |
Metallic,
dark silvery |
| How
wlite |
White
with black veining |
| Jade |
Various
colours, usually green tones |
| Lapis
lazuli: |
Blue,
some pyrite or white calcite (usually dyed) |
| Malachite |
Green,
stripes and eyes |
| Mother
of pearl |
Creamy
white pearl |
| Opal |
Glassy,
translucent with play of color |
| Red
jasper |
Brick
red |
| Rhodonite |
Pink
with black patterns |
| Rose
quarts |
Transluscent
pink |
| Sodalite |
Deep
blue, occasional white calcite |
| Striped
onyx |
Green,
cream, tan |
| Tigereye |
Brown,
gold bands |
| Tourmaline |
Pink
or green |
| Turquoise |
Blue,
some with black matrix |
| Unakite |
Olive-green
and subtle pink |
| White
onyx |
Pure
white |
Beads
Form
of Beads
Length
of Beads
Bead
Threads
Bead
Sizes and Information Chart
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