Beading and Jewelry Making Terms

Aught (°) refers to how many beads can fit into a standard unit of measurement. For example, seed bead size 11/0 means eleven-aught. Seed beads range is size 24/0 (the smallest) to 5/0 (the largest).

A bail enables you to turn a top-drilled bead into a pendant making it easy to hang from a chain or cord.

A bangle is a rigid bracelet.

In a barrel clasp, the two 'barrels' screw together in this commonly used clasp.

Copper, brass or tin may be used as a substitute for sterling silver or gold in a base metal.

A bead is a small, often round piece of material, such as glass, plastic, or wood, that is pierced for stringing or threading.

Bead caps are used to set-off or enhance individual beads.

Bead cones conceal unsightly knots, crimp beads, or glued ends and transition the beadwork to the clasp or other finding.

Bead cord or bead thread is available in silk and nylon. Tigertail is made of twisted wires coated with plastic and is used for stringing metal, heavy or large beads, or beads with sharp edges. Monofilament or fishing line is a general purpose, inexpensive bead cord.

Bead needles are thin and specifically designed for stringing beads and used with silk or nylon bead thread.

Bead tips are used to link silk strands and other beading thread to metal findings. The little cup or clam shell portion of the bead tip hides and secures the knot that finishes the end of your stringing material. A hook on the bead tip can be formed into a loop to link to a clasp. Bead tips are also called clam shells.

Beadwork is the craft of making things with beads either woven together, strung, or adhered to a surface.

A bell cap is a finding that is glued to a bead/stone to convert it into a pendant.

A briolette is a faceted stone, usually made into a bead with a hole through the top.

Bugle beads are cylindrical shape beads and can have round, hexagonal or twisted hexagonal sides.

Cabochon (Cab) refers to shaped stones generally with a flat back. Ovals are very common, as are rounds, squares, triangles etc. .

Chevron beads are special glass beads, composed of many consecutive layers of colored glass.

Clasps are connectors used to join the ends of a necklace or bracelet.

Closed jump rings have been soldered, forming a continuous, strong circle. They may be used when you are connecting wire wrapped links together and need a strong joint between the links.

Cord ends which are generally used for thicker stringing materials. Cord ends cap off the tips of fabric cords, snake chain, or multiple strands of beading wire.

Crimp beads are used to finish jewelry made with beading wire. Crimp beads are tiny ring like beads which can be pinched closed with flat nosed pliers. They are used to secure the ends of thread, monofilament or tigertail.

Cutting pliers are pliers made to specifically cut wire.

Demi parure refers to a matching set of jewelry, such as a necklace/earrings/pin set.

Earring findings are made for both pierced and non-pierced ears and come in hoops, French ear wires, studs, and clip-on styles in sterling silver, gold filled, niobium, and base metal.

Ear posts/studs are for pierced ears and have a small loop for attaching drops.

Ear clips are for non-pierced ears and have a small split loop for attaching drops.

Ear screws are for non-pierced ears and have a clip mechanism and a screw to tighten gently for extra security on the ear. They have a small split loop and a callotte for attaching drops.

End bar links serve as a transition for single- and multi-strand designs. These links usually have a single loop on one side and multiple loops on the other.

A feature bead is usually a bead that stands out from the other beads used in a particular piece.

Findings are bead tips, barrel clasps, hook and eye clasps, jump rings, spring rings, jump ring clasps, and earring hooks. These are used to join your work together so it may be worn or to add interest to a project.

Fire-polished beads are faceted glass beads.

Flux is a substance added to a metal or metal oxide system to lower its melting point and is used to protect the surface of metal for soldering by allowing for a lower working temperature.

Gauge refers to a standard measure of thickness, such as wire gauge. See Conversion Charts for wire gauges.

Glass beads can be either individually made or pressed or molded on production lines and are made of glass.

A hank is unit bundle of strands of seed beads or bugle beads. There are usually 12 strands of 8 to 20 inches of strung beads in each hank. Different sizes and types of beads may be sold in hanks which have different numbers and lengths of strands.

Head pins are straight pieces of wire with one flat or round end. Eye pins are similar to head pins except the wire ends with a small loop. Beads are threaded onto a headpin when making earrings. The base is either flat or an eye so the beads will not fall off. With the eye pin, other beads may be hung from the eye.

Lampwork beads are made by using a torch to heat a rod of glass and spinning the resulting thread around a metal rod covered.

The loops and holes in links provide for connecting various parts of a piece of jewelry.

Jewelry wire is available in gold or silver plate, copper and brass, in various gauges or thickness to suit your project.

Jump rings are used to connect the clasp to the ends of beaded strand.

Memory wire is made of heavy wire coils that once cut remembers its shape. Ideal for chokers, bracelets & rings.

Millefiori beads are made by winding glass thread and thin slices of cut cane and then pressing it into a mosaic-like patterns, while the glass is still hot. Another name for Millefiori bead is mosaic bead.

Monofilament is a strong and flexible thread similar to fishing line.

Murano beads are glass beads influences by the Venetian glass artists.

Open jump rings are small rings used to attach wire loops or charms to other elements. They can also be used as a catch for clasps such as lobster claws and S clasps.

Oval jump rings are small, elliptical rings of wire used to attach components or charms to other elements. Their oval shape makes it much harder for whatever they are holding to slip out between the openings.

Pebble beads are larger than Rocaille beads with a larger hole and are slightly more rectangular than round.

Pressed glass beads are formed by pressing the hot glass into mold to give the bead its shape.

Rocaille beads is a general term for small round beads, available in various different sizes, also know as Seed Beads.

Round nose pliers are commonly used to make neat, quick loops.

Seed Beads are uniformly shaped, usually round shaped, spherical beads ranging in size from under a millimeter to several millimeters. "Seed Bead" is a generic term for any small bead.

Sequins are shiny laminated plastic or thin metal discs with a small hole in the center.

Spacer bars serve a practical as well as decorative purpose. Spacers separate the strands of a multi-strand beads so that they drape elegantly and they also provide visual contrast to break up long lines of similar sized beads.

Spiral cages are available in various sizes and are ideal for creating pendants with a bead or semi precious stone enclosed in the wire cage.

Split rings are a type of jump ring and have a double loop of wire, which makes them more secure than jump rings. They are good to use as connectors and catches for clasps.

Swarovski crystal beads have an incredible sparkle and clarity, and are often multi-faceted to resemble gemstones.

Table cut beads are facetted on two sides.

Thong is thin leather strips used for stringing larger beads and pendants.

Tigertail is a thin, tightly twisted strands of wire, coated in clear nylon used to string beads.

Trade beads are various types of beads made in Europe specifically to be used in the slave trade and other trading in Africa.