Types of Beads II
November 25th, 2009 by Phoenix HeliopolisClay
Clay beads is getting more attention and becomes more popular in the recent years. Polymer and metal clay are available in the market.
Crystals
Crystal beads has become very popular next to gemstones for anyone making wire and bead jewelery. Most of them come from Czech and Austrian. The styles are antique, vintage, and modern.
Gemstones Beads
A gemstone is a piece of mineral. It has 3 categories – Precious, Semiprecious, and Organic.
Precious includes rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds. Semiprecious includes agate, beryl, chalcedony, onyx, tourmaline, chrysolite, spinel, topaz, turquoise, zircon, cubic zirconia, jacinth, hyacinth, carbuncle, amethyst, alexandrite, cat’s eye, bloodstone, hematite, jasper, moonstone, and sunstone. Organic includes perl, coral, and amber.
Glass
Glass beads come with different shape , size, styles. It can be man or machine-made. Lampwork, furnace glass, pressed glass, seed are part of the glass seed family.
Metal
Metal beads are made of gold, silver, copper, brass, or pewter. There are different types, such as plated, base, and cast.
Natural Materials
It consists of Pearls, coral, shell, amber, bone, and wood.