beads that have a unique finish much like the old milk glass of the past, a dense translucent white or tinted finish.

beads that are also known as Rainbow and Iris and Fancy. The bead has a finish that appears to either have several shades of the same color highlighted or various highlights in more than one color on the bead surface. Example; a pink bead that twinkles with pink, gold and blue highlights, or there may be beads in more than one color, having 3 or more bead colors grouped together. Example; a black diamond bead may have black, blue, bronze and brown as the bead colors or there may not even be a black bead as one of the colors. These beads are also called rainbow.

the bead hole is lined with black and gives depth to the bead color.

beads are sometimes identified as pearlized because of the pearly appearance of the finish. Ceylon beads can have a color line in the bead hole which will change or enhance the bead appearance. This bead is a favorite for making beadwork that appears to be composed of pearls.

the bead hole is lined with a color.

clear glass beads with color added inside the bead hole after the bead is made. Colored transparent beads are also lined sometimes, for example, a green transparent bead with a brown color-lined in the bead hole or a lavender transparent bead with a rose-lined center. If you put color-lined beads up to the light, you will see the transparent bead rim and the color within the bead hole. Most color-lined beads will keep their color unless they are laundered, such as beadwork on clothing or if you wear jewelry that includes color-lined beads out in the bright sunlight for several hours at a time.

  the bead hole is lined with copper and radiates a copper tone throughout the bead.

  a velvety, "frosted" surface, rather than a shiny or reflective surface. Often interchangeable with "matte".

  the coating is applied to one side of the bead

  an iridescent bead finish, usually on darker bead colors or opaque beads, which gives it a rainbow/metallic appearance.

glow in the dark. 

the bead finish is a soft reflected light, sometimes having a radiant sheen. Gold luster beads include real gold in the luster finish, creating breath-taking finishes with a richness not seen in other beads. 

beads that have been submerged in an etch compound or tumbled, removing part or all of the top layer of the bead surface, leaving the bead smooth. Matte beads have a unique feel to them; when you hold a bunch of these beads together or beadwork piece with these beads included, you will hear a soothing crinkly sound as you rub them together. Beads can appear very matted or semi-matted, depending on how long the beads were left in the etching compound. Most matte beads do not have a shiny appearance; however, if the bead is color-lined with brass, silver, or copper, the surface will be matted with a shiny surface showing through from the color-lining, making the bead look frosty in appearance. Frosted beads are usually shiny color-lined beads with a matte finish. Many of the shiny beads you use today are the same type beads that are matted using the etch dip. The beads that are rainbow should retain their finish after the bead has had the etch treatment.

these beads have a matte finish over the rainbow colored beads. 

a shiny metal-like surface coating. 

beads that appear to be made of metallic colors. Purple, Blue, Brown and Green These beads have permanent colors. Each color includes more than the basic color, such as purple metallic rainbow will have primarily purple with dashes of bronze, green and blue metallic beads. Not all beads known as metallic rainbow are permanent.

natural colored glass. The color is achieved through a natural process of temperature and time. Nothing has been added to the glass to give it its color. 

glass seed bead with shallow translucence that gives it a greasy appearance. 

 semi-translucent, slightly milky, often with an inner iridescence, similar to an opal semi-precious gemstone.

these beads have no transparency; you can not see through the bead. The finish is flat and there is minimal shine to the surface. Opaque beads can have a rainbow finish. Opaque beads are good contrast next to shiny, matte and beads with other finishes. 

 the beads have no transparency and the surface has a rainbow appearance. If you had a black opaque bead and it had a rainbow finish, the rainbow could include blue and green rainbow highlights, or even a purple highlight.

  opaque beads with a luster finish.

 these beads are also known as Aurora Borealis (AB), Iris and Fancy. The beads have finishes that appear either as several shades of the same color highlighted or various highlights in more than one color on the bead surface. Examples: brown with a rainbow of plum, burgundy, brown and blue; pink beads may have pink, gold and blue highlights, or it may have various shades of pink plus deeper shades that are more than one color bead, both dark and light.

these beads have a shiny silver colored-lining inside a transparent bead. 

is name given for a specialized coated treatment that provides seed beads with longer lasting color. It protects seed beads from exposure to sunlight, washing, cosmetic exposure, perspiration, hand perspiration, and lengthy storage. The colors are fade-resistant, ideal for garment designers, and washable in temperatures below 40�C; even when using fabric softeners. 

is a treatment that provides seed beads with longer lasting color. Basic characteristics of terra colours are that they are fast to light, resistant to normal cosmetic products and perspiration. It is also recommended that when you launder any materials containing any terra colored beads, that you machine or hand wash at 40�C in mild detergent for fine and color laundry. 

the name describes this bead; you can see right through it. Transparent beads can be light, dark, medium or deep in color saturation. 

a dark transparent or opaque bead with a white lining in the core of the bead.