| Due
to the nature of the vintage jewelry industry, there are
always going to be various terms floating around when it
comes to describing stones and beads used in vintage jewelry.
This is due to three main factors. Some people like to use
terms that are used in the bead industry. This is useful
when you are searching for replacement beads to repair a
piece that is damaged. Other people will pick up terms used
by authors in collectibles books. A third method of creating
terminology comes from the glass making industry. If you
are a person who is into glass making, you may associate
a bead with how it is made rather than the name it is given
by a particular company. All of these ways of describing
beads in jewelry can be useful when used together.
So there
are at least three different ways a glass bead may be described:
1.
According to a manufacturer's label eg. Article
5601
2.
According to popular descriptive language used by book authors,
collectors and dealers eg. Aurora Borealis Crystal
Cube
3.
According to how and where it is made and what it is made
of eg. Faceted Austrian Crystal Cube |
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| Vintage
Art Glass Beads |
| There
are many different types of art glass beads used in vintage
jewelry. The list below is not complete but can give you an
idea of how to name or identify some of these types of little
glass masterpieces. |
 |
|
| Avventura
(in Italian - that's 2 "v's", not a "w"):
Also known as Avventurino or aventurine (like the stone which
was said to be named after this type of glass.) You can see
in the photo to the right that it is made by working copper
filings into the glass. It produces a sparkling effect. |
|
| This
is a Coin, Penny, Disk, or Lentil Bead -
Sommerso (meaning submerged) aventurina submerged beneath
translucent glass. This shape of bead is flattened much like
the bead in the picture directly below it. |
|
| Blown
Coin, Penny, Disk, or Lentil Bead with zanfirico
(lace patterned cane) possibly furnace glass. It
is hollow and lightweight. |
|
| Sterling
Silver or white gold foil lampworked bead with a crackled
or textured look called a glacier effect. Random
patterns of swirls are drizzled on top. Necklace is marked
Made in Italy. |
|
| Vintage
German givre bead. The word Givré
is French for "frost over". These stones almost
look as if they have a frozen river running through them and
come in many different colors. |
|
| Special
Louis Rousselet lampworked round beads. Decorations
applied using thin pieces of glass called stringer. This requires
a very steady hand. |
|
| Often
referred to as mottled glass. They have also
been identified as Japanese snowdrop beads.
These have been lampworked over a flame. Necklace in first
image is marked Japan. |
|
| Opalescent
glass bead has a translucent opal like quality that
reflects a bluish hue. |
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|
|
| Vintage
Crystal Beads |
|
|
| Rhinestone
bead or ball made by Swarovski on vintage German
earrings. |
|
| Swarovski's
Margarita (shape) lead crystal bead. Margarita
means daisy in Spanish and you can see that this bead is shaped
like the flower. |
|
| Rhinestone
bead from a Bogoff necklace |
|
| Rhinestone
rondell beads are often used between other, less
expensive beads although if you are lucky, you can find
pieces made entirely of these beads. |
|
|
|
| Pressed
and Molded Glass Beads |
| These
are beads that have been formed using a mold. |
|
|
| Melon
shaped beads. |
|
| Czech
pressed or molded glass beads formed in a mold. |
|
| VINTAGE
German or Czech "button" flowers and Czech
pressed or molded glass leaf beads mixed with plastic
pink rounds. Necklace is marked West Germany |
|
| Rondell
beads are like rounds that have been squished on
either side to create the shape you see in the picture. |
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| General
/ Miscellaneous |
| More
Coming Soon! |
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| Additional
Resources (links
will open in a new window) |
|
Glass
Bead Making Article |
|
Bead
Facts / Information |
|
Types
Of Beads |
|
| Where
to find unusual and hard to find beads: |
|
|
BeadEssence.com
- Unusual vintage beads, vintage findings and bead supplies.
Also featuring vintage cabochons, vintage cameos and vintage
plastic beads.
|
|
Pudgy
Beads - Unusual vintage hard to find beads. |
|
A
Grain Of Sand - Vintage Glass Beads and Vintage
Crystal Beads
|
