‘Aurora Borealis’ bead strands for jewellery making

These are quite unusual synthetic beads sold as ‘Aurora Borealis’ beads. They are comprised of glass with a coating that causes a shiny holographic appearance.

These are gorgeous, and I think one or two of these beads as focus beads on a piece could give it a really stand-out look.

I suspect they were probably made to imitate the look of high quality Moonstone – they are very striking. If you look closely, the beads have a line down the centre; they appear to be made in two halves and adhered together, but I can’t be sure of the manufacturing process.

I have seen these beads in a huge range of colours – I don’t really know if they come ‘unfrosted’ or if this is part of how the visual effect works.

Our current stock includes frosted white and frosted blue-grey beads, both of which have a pale blue to pale green flash depending on the lighting and angle. These beads aren’t size calibrated, and may be around 0.5MM different to others on the same strand.