ART NEWS
The Best Reflective Glass Beads for Shimmering Surfaces
Shine on! Useful for everything from lending your paintings a textured, reflective surface to creating striking signs, reflective glass beads are an unconventional and useful crafting tool. Most traditionally used on highway lines and street signs, reflective glass beads can either be mixed into your paint or sprinkled on top of it, to achieve eye-catching effects. Available in myriad forms, you can choose packs of glass beads in a variety of sizes or go for a medium premixed with reflective pellets. With so many options on the market, it can be hard to choose. Browse our selection of the best options below.
1. Cole Safety Products Reflective Glass Beads
Great for everything from craft to traffic-safety projects, these glass beads can be used for parking lot striping, traffic signs, and art projects alike. The one-pound bag features beads in sizes ranging from 0.04 to 0.85 millimeters. If you just want to add texture to your paint, simply mix the beads into your medium, but if you want to lend a truly reflective effect, sprinkle the beads atop your painted surface.
Buy:
Cole Safety Products Reflective Glass Beads
$16.75
2. Homeglow Tempered Fire-Glass Reflective Beads
Intended for use in conjunction with firepits and any indoor or outdoor fire feature with gas, propane, ethanol, or gel fuel, these tempered glass beads can take the heat. Available in colors ranging from gold to green, these ten millimeter beads would also make a great addition to any craft, art, or jewelry project. The surface of each bead is ultra reflective and manufactured with a mirror on one side for a super-sparkly effect.
Buy:
Homeglow Tempered Fire-Glass Reflective Beads
$32.99
3. Liquitex Professional Glass Beads Effects Medium
A go-to brand for gel mediums, Liquitex makes reliable and high-performing art supplies. Artists and crafters in the market for a premixed solution that contains glass beads should go with this product. This medium-body gel contains clear round beads and dries to a semigloss finish. Able to create a shimmery film and a bubbly surface, you can mix this medium with transparent or translucent colors or apply it straight from the container over dried paint. This versatile solution can be used both over and under oil and acrylic paint alike.
Buy:
Liquitex Professional Glass Beads Effects Medium
$12.91
4. Janders Inc. Reflective Glass Beads
Whether you’re in the market for a one-pound bag or a forty-pound volume of glass beads, this product has you covered. Available in a resealable plastic bag, these beads are easy to keep organized when you aren’t using them or if you don’t intend to use all of them at once. Possessing a sandlike consistency, these beads can either be mixed into your paint or sprinkled on top of its surface. Unlike other options, which don’t maintain their reflective qualities if they’re mixed into your paint, these beads remain reflective even when blended with your chosen medium.
Buy:
Janders Inc. Reflective Glass Beads
$19.99
5. Cole Safety Products Reflective Glass Beads Variety Pack
For the most bead-size range, choose this product. This variety pack includes four bags of individually packaged beads, covering the full size spectrum. Featuring beads as small as grains of powder, standard-sized beads, mid-sized beads, and large spherical beads, this product leaves you spoiled for choice. Rated as “airport quality,” these beads are high performing and durable thanks to their smooth, regularly rounded surface. Able to refract a large amount of light, these beads are manufactured with less than one percent air inclusions, and nearly all have a perfectly spherical shape. Sprinkle these beads on top of painted surfaces to achieve the most reflective look.
Buy:
Cole Safety Products Reflective Glass Beads…
$36.99
