If you wish to make your own personality with jewelry you have (without going to the jeweler) - beads mix and match is the answer. Beads materials are endless. And there is no official terms what beads terms are. So when you try to find the meaning in the dictionary it might have different meanings because the terms have developed over time from the common use in the bead business.
"Opaque" beads that are not translucent in any way ( you cannot see through )
"Translucent" beads allow light to shine through - the beads may be colored
"Iridescent" beads have a coating which reflects light in rainbow-like colors.
"Aurora Borealis (AB)" beads which have a sprayed - on silver - silver colored
"Vitrail" beads caoting are also metallic (silver) but the metallic finish is fired onto the bead ( more permanent than Aurora Berealis beads. You will also read or heard of Bluish vitrail ? green vitrail coatings? It is also called "azuro" beads.
"Irish" for beads which have a glossy finish but do not reflect light in iridescent colors.
"Opalescent" any bead which has qualities similar to an opal ( cloudy andiridescent, semi opaque)
"Satiny" refers to glass which has an appearance similar to satin cloth.
"Catoyancy" refers to the changeable lustrous quality in cat's eye beads or similar. Mostly made from fiber optic threads.
"Gossamer" refers to beads with a gold luster coating.
"Cinder" beads have black specks embedded in the surface.
"Givre" beads (French : frosty) beads are clear but colored which has the slightest bit of clear glass in it.
"Porphyr" refers to beads which have more than two colors in a striped or swirled pattern.
Again - there is no official names of beads, if you have other definitions I would love to hear from you.
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