Yet More Bead Finishes!

Well, now that you have your head around AB, Crystal Capri and Zairit, let me lay some more bead finish terms on you. As you may remember (from last week's posts) - a finish is a treatment or coating applied to a bead to modify it's colour or texture.

So, you're feeling pretty confident there - well - how do you feel about Oily? Pearl - sure, Lustre, sounds good, but Oily? What about Iris? (Ok, what about her?)

Seedbeads add some more terms to your beady vocabulary. We have your, by now, familiar AB (Aurora Borealis) and Matte finish (which you might also see referred to as Frosted), of course. But now we have some new terms. Iris - Iris is very similar to AB and might be used interchangeably. Because the beads are so small, the overall effect is like have a mix of different colours of beads, as opposed to one bead with a rainbow of colours on it. It may also be combined with Matte (non-glossy) finish.

And speaking of "Rainbow" - Rainbow is also very similar to AB - but is perhaps a little softer and more subtle.

Lustre and Pearl are finishes that are very subtle, and are more about describing the overall look of the bead. Oily, sometimes known as "Greasy" - is actually a description of the glass itself, and not a finish at all!
Oily glass is translucent, rather than opaque or transparent. It is not quite as translucent as "Opal" glass.

Pearl, unsurprisingly, is a soft, pearlescent look. Subtle, but noticable.


Like wise, Lustre (or Lustred, and frequently abbreviated to just plain "Lust" - no comment) has the effect of just "kicking up the shininess" a notch, making them also look wet, or just "more so." "Ceylon" is similar to Lustre.