Blog - Bead Color Names

Whether shopping at a bead store or online, searching for beads that have a particular color name can sometimes be frustrating. Problems arise when a supplier changes the name that originated with the bead manufacturer. I’m not sure why some suppliers do this…perhaps they believe it will prevent buyers from purchasing through competing bead suppliers. Take Toho color #2113PF for instance. Toho calls this bead “Silver-Lined Milky Pomegranate”. Some suppliers make it easy for us by using the same color description the manufacturer designated as shown on the pack sold by Aura Crystals. The same size and color bead in the tube shown at left and sold by Simply Beads is named “Permanent Ruby Opal Silver Lined” and the color number is listed as #PF2113. The one thing that is consistent is the numerical listing…2113 although the PF, which translates to Permanent Finish, is listed before the number on the latter and after the number on the former. What’s a beader to do? Obviously, searching for the color number is the surest way of finding the color regardless of the descriptive name it has been given. And, of course, buying more beads than you think you need for a project is always a good idea as manufacturer’s tend to eliminate some colors from their line when new colors are introduced!