Crystal beads are very popular among jewellery designers who want to add a touch of luxury to their work. Glass crystal beads are relatively expensive to produce, thanks to the type of glass that is used in their manufacture, which has a high lead content.
Glass crystal is prized because it is very clear, as a result of its chemical composition. Not all crystal beads are equal however; some have more lead, and are consequently of a higher grade. Swarovski® is perhaps the best-known manufacturer of high quality crystal beads (and other glass crystal items).
Crystal beads are often faceted; cutting them in this way increases their ‘sparkliness’, and may cause the bead to act like a prism, refracting the light into beautiful colours.
Crystal beads may be plain, or coated with what’s known as an aurora borealis (AB) coating. This opaque coating is applied to the bead on one side, and helps to increase the diffraction of light through the bead, resulting in extra colour and sparkle.
There are many styles of crystal bead, and round beads and bicones are especially popular. Other common shapes include cushions, disks, square beads, wheels, cubes, drops and hearts.
Types of cut include hexagon-cut, triangle cut, diamond cut and rectangle cut.
Crystal beads may be used alone to stunning effect, but are most often combined with other bead types when making jewellery.
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