Wound: The bead is formed by the ancient technique of winding molten glass around a metal wire. The beads are then sliced and polished.
Lampwork: A wound glass bead is formed by winding molten glass around copper wire heated over a lamp.
Mosaic: Mosaic beads are very ornate, and are composed entirely of colorful fused segments of glass cane. Glass cane is a long drawn rod of glass.
Millefiori: These beads have layers of colorful glass fused in cross section and melted onto the surface of a bead. The resulting surface can look like flowers, like faces, like an abstract pattern, or even a realistic scene. One example of a glass cross section: two layers of different-color glass, rolled up like a jelly roll, and then sliced.
Swarovski Crystal: These are leaded (crystal) glass beads with a very high brilliance. These are named after Daniel Swarovski who was born in Bohemia in 1862, and who invented a machine to cut glass.
Chevron: A very popular bead, first made in the 1400's in Venice. This bead is formed by drawn-out layered glass block sectioned into beads; their ends are cut or ground down to create a zigzag pattern, usually blue with white and red stripes.
Blown: Blown glass beads are formed as a craftsman blows into a glass tube that has a small piece of molten glass on the end. The tube is turned over heat until the bead reaches the desired size.













