Bead Colors

Sandra Paluzz 
The Bead Peddler®

At least once a month, I get a request for true purple or pink glass beads.  That's just not going to happen.  As my glass artist nephew, Nathan, says "Glass just does not like purple or pink".  It's also not a big fan of red - it's very hard to maintain the same shade of red in various dye lots.  The red can come out anywhere from orangy to brownish.  Bright red translucent beads are a treasure.   Also, it is more expensive to produce red than any other color.  Buy a true red bead or one of glasses attempts at purple or pink and you will pay a premium. 

Glass is colored by the introduction of pigments or minerals.  There are none that will turn out a true purple. 

So what do you do if you want purple beads?  You can, of course, settle for the shades of purple that are available in glass.  Some manufacturers coat or dye the beads pink or purple.  Pretty in the beginning, but they don't maintain their looks for long.  The dyes can fade, the finish can scratch or peel. 

There are other materials such as acrylic, wood or bone that take and hold dyes extremely well.  You can find true pinks or purples in these two materials.  And you can expect your reds to be cherry red if that's what you want. 

Another option is to buy an enameled or cloisonne bead with pink or purple in it.  If money is no object, you can buy a pink or purple cubic zirconia bead.  But no matter how hard you try, you're just not going to find a natural pink or purple glass bead.

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