Bead Shapes

Sandra Paluzz 
The Bead Peddler®

It seems like I've been giving you all kinds of esoteric bead information.  But many of you write asking for more of the basics. So this month, I'm going to talk about the names used with different bead shapes.

 

	Bicone.  The bead tapers at both ends and is largest at the middle.  This bead looks like 2 pyramids stuck together at their fattest point.  A bicone differs from an oval in that the bicone tapers sharply from the center.  An oval just tapers softly at both ends.
	Oval.  The bead is longer than it is wide.  It is tapered at both ends.
	Round.  Ball shaped.  Just as wide as it is long.
	Barrel or tube.  This bead is also longer than it is wide.  However, it is NOT tapered.  Tubes tend to be narrower than barrels.
	Teardrop.  Bead tapers from the top down - resembles a human teardrop.o
	Saucer.  Reminds me of the original Star Trek ship, The Enterprise.  Much wider than it is long and rounded = like two half moons stuck together at their widest point.
	Donut, also called a washer.  The donut looks like a Cheerio.  More hole than bead.
	Rondelle - Resembles a bakery donut in shape, but looks more like a miniature tire.  This bead has a normal size hole.   More bead than hole.
	Square.  Flat bead with all four sides being equal.
	Rectangle.   Flat bead.  It's width is different than it's length.
	Coin.  Round and flat just like a monetary coin.  The whole goes through the length of the bead.
	Disk.  Round and flat just like a monetary coin.  The hole is in the middle of the bead.
	Cube.  Shaped just like a Rubik's cube, but much smaller, of course.  Sometimes the whole goes point to point, and sometimes it goes through the center of the bead.

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