Arts & Craft Glossary

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M
N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

Abalone

The colorful pearly interior of the shell is often used for making ornaments such as beads.

Amazonite

A green variety of microcline, often used as a semiprecious stone for beading.

Amethyst

A purple or violet form of transparent quartz used as a gemstone bead.

Appliqué

A decoration, patch or ornament, as in needlework, made by cutting pieces of one material and applying them to the surface of another.

Aurora Borealis

An iridescent finish, used on costume jewelry, beads and appliques.

Aventurine

An opaque or semitranslucent brown glass flecked with small metallic particles, often used for making ornaments, jewelry and beads.

B

Bauble

A small, showy ornament usually for decorative trims and fringe.

Bead

Small, usually round object of glass, wood, stone, or the like with a hole through it, often strung with others of its kind in necklaces, bracelets, etc.

Boa

A long fluffy scarf made of soft material, such as fur or feathers.

Bugle

A tubular glass or plastic bead sewn onto clothing for decoration, used for trimming.

Bullion

A heavy lace trimming made of twisted threads.

C

Chenille

A soft tufted cord of silk, cotton, or worsted used in embroidery, fringing and trimming.

Clay

A natural earthy material consisting essentially of hydrated silicates of aluminum, used for beads or potting.

Cloisonné

Decorative enamelwork in which metal filaments are fused to the surface of an object to outline a design that is filled in with enamel paste.

Cobalt

A silver-white metallic element with a faint pinkish tinge, occurring in compounds whose silicates afford important blue coloring substances for ceramics.

Crochet

Needlework made by looping thread with a hooked needle, usually for ornaments, appliques and fringes.

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D

Denim

A coarse twilled cloth, used for appliques, decorative trim. Also a term used to describe a certain shade of blue.

Die Cut

A process for cutting out any special shapes by using a metal form which is called a die. Also used to refer to the cut out shape. Can be used with fabric or paper.

Disk

A thin, flat, circular object.

E

Embellish

To make beautiful, as by ornamentation; decorate.

Embossed

Embellished with a raised pattern created by pressure.

Eyelash

A row of hairs fringing a trim.

F

Facet

One of the flat polished surfaces cut on a gemstone bead or occurring naturally on a crystal.

Faux

Artificial, imitation or fake; as in faux leather or faux suede.

Feather

A feathery tuft or fringe of hair, usually used for trimming.

Fiber

A natural or synthetic filament, as of cotton or nylon, capable of being spun into yarn or trim.

Fleur

A term derived from French which means a blooming flower.

Fluorite

A mineral that is often fluorescent in ultraviolet light and occurs in light green, blue, yellow, brown, and colorless forms.

Fringe

A decorative border, trim or edging of hanging threads, cords, or strips, often attached to a separate band.

Frog Closure

Decorative piece used to close or attach different kinds of material. Mainly used on clothing.

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G

Garget

A tall American herb which has small white flowers followed by poisonous blackish-red berries on long stems.

Garnet

A group of hard, vitreous minerals, silicates of calcium, magnesium, iron, or manganese with aluminum or iron, varying in color: a deep-red transparent variety is used as a gem and as an abrasive.

Gemstone

A crystalline rock that can be cut and polished for jewelry.

Gimp

A narrow flat braid or rounded cord of fabric used for trimming.

Glass

A hard, brittle, noncrystalline, more or less transparent substance produced by fusion, usually consisting of mutually dissolved silica and silicates that also contain soda and lime, as in the ordinary variety used for beads.

Glitzy

Ostentatious showiness; flashiness. A Treasure Nest uses this term to classify beaded trims greater than 2" up to 4" in width.

Grommet

Various rings or eyelets of metal. Sometimes used to embellish trims.

H

Hematite

A black or blackish-red to brick-red mineral used for beads.

Hologram

The pattern produced on a photosensitive medium that has been exposed by holography and then photographically developed.

I

Iridescent

Varying in color when seen in different lights or from different angles.

Ivory

A pale or grayish yellow to yellowish white.

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J

Jade

Either of two distinct minerals, nephrite and jadeite, that are generally pale green or white and are used mainly as gemstone beads.

Jasper

An opaque cryptocrystalline variety of quartz that may be red, yellow, or brown.

K

Kelly

A shade of green.

L

Lace

A netlike ornamental fabric or applique made of threads by hand or machine.

Lauren Brooks

A designer who created a unique, romantic and masculine home decor collection. A Treasure Nest carries a line of trims and tassels under the Lauren Brooks Collection distributed by Expo International, Inc. This line includes fiber trims, bead trims, fringes, tassel trims, lip cord trims, bullion trims, leather fringes, loop fringes, chenille gimp, flower trims and specialty trims.

Luxury

A material object, service, trim, etc., conducive to sumptuous living, usually a delicacy, elegance, or refinement of living. A Treasure Nest uses this term to classify beaded trims greater than 4" in width.

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M

Mahogany

A reddish-brown color.

Marabou

A raw silk that can be dyed without being separated from the gum. Sometimes used as a tape trim.

Mask

A covering worn on the face to conceal one's identity. A covering made of cloth, plastic or rubber that has openings for the eyes, entirely or partly conceals the face, and is worn especially at a masquerade ball, Mardi Gras or Halloween.

Matte

A nonglossy, dull finish. Sometimes used when referring to a photograph, paper, or paint.

Motif

A distinctive and recurring form, shape, figure, applique, etc., in a design, as in a painting or on clothing.

N

Nut Beads

A dry fruit consisting of an edible kernel or meat enclosed in a woody or leathery shell made to be used as a nut.

O

Obsidian

Acid or granitic glass; usually dark, but transparent in thin pieces.

Organdy

A stiff transparent fabric of cotton or silk, used for trims, fringe, curtains, appliques and light apparel.

Ornate

Elaborately, heavily, and often excessively ornamented. A Treasure Nest uses this term to classify beaded trims greater than 1" and up to 2" in width.

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P

Packaged Trims

Ornamented trims or fringe that are placed on card backings.

Parchment

The skin of sheep, goats, etc., prepared for use as a material. Sometimes used for artificial flowers.

Paua

A large abalone of New Zealand, the shell is used in making jewelry and beads.

Pearl

A smooth, rounded bead formed within the shells of certain mollusks and composed of the mineral aragonite or calcite in a matrix, deposited in concentric layers as a protective coating around an irritating foreign object: valued as a gem when lustrous and finely colored.

Pendant

A hanging ornament, as an earring or the main piece suspended from a necklace.

Petite

Small, slender, and trim. A Treasure Nest uses this term to classify beaded trims up to 1" in width.

Q

Quartz

Colorless glass made of almost pure silica, Used for beading.

Quilt

A cover or blanket made of two layers of fabric with a layer of cotton, wool, feathers, or down in between, all stitched firmly together, usually in a decorative crisscross design.

Quilting

To make into a quilt by stitching (layers of fabric) together.

R

Reconstructed Turquoise

A product made from pulverised turquoise.

Rhinestone

A colorless artificial gem of paste or glass, often with facets that sparkle. Utilized for decorative trim, fringe and appliques.

Rhodonite

A pink to rose-red mineral used as an ornamental stone used for beads.

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S

Scrapbook

A book with blank pages used for the mounting and preserving of pictures, clippings, or other mementos.

Scrapbooking

The hobby of creating compilations in scrapbook albums, such as keepsakes, pictures, periodical articles, etc.

Semiprecious Stone

A gem, such as an opal, that has commercial value but is not as rare or expensive as a precious stone.

Sequin

Small shiny ornamental disk, often sewn on cloth. Mainly used for decorative trims, appliques and patches.

Sodalite

A blue-white mineral.

Soutache

A narrow flat braid in a herringbone pattern, used for trimming and embroidery.

Strand

one of a number of fibers, threads, or yarns that are plaited or twisted together to form a rope or cord. A string of pearls, beads, etc.

Suede

Leather with a soft napped surface. Sometimes used as decorative trim.

Synthetic

Substances or products made by chemical synthesis, as plastics or artificial fibers. Not real or genuine.

T

Tassel

A bunch of loose threads or cords bound at one end and hanging free at the other, used as an ornament on curtains, trim, fringe or clothing.

Tigereye

A golden-brown chatoyant stone used for ornament, formed by the alteration of crocidolite, and consisting essentially of quartz colored by iron oxide. Common color in beads.

Tissue Paper

A type of thin, translucent paper usually used for wrapping and packing fragile items.

Trim

Material used for decoration or embellishment; decorative trimming or fringe.

Turquoise

A blue to gray green mineral consisting of copper aluminum phosphate; blue turquoise is valued as a gemstone.

Turquoise Matrix

A material which has veins or blotches running through it, which are brown, light grey or black depending on where it was found. These patterns are known as 'turquoise matrix'.

U

Unakite

An altered granite composed of pink, green and generally clear quartz. It exists in various shades of green and pink and is usually mottled in appearance. In good quality unakite is considered a semiprecious stone, will take a good polish and is often used in jewelry and other lapidary work such as beads, eggs, spheres and carvings.

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V

Victorian

Being in the highly ornamented, massive style of architecture, decor, fringe, tassels and furnishings popular in 19th-century England.

W

Wire Ribbon

A decorative slender, stringlike piece of flexible metal, used to embellish candles, lamps and garland, etc.

Wood Beads

Different wood types that has been cut and dried, made for use as a bead.

X

Y

Z

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References:

• http://www.dictionary.com
• http://www.gemstone.org
• http://www.about.com