beadid

Beadid is a term used in beadwork and related industries to denote a unique identifier assigned to individual beads within a collection, catalog, or database. It does not refer to a single universal standard and its exact meaning varies by context and organization.

The term likely derives from combining “bead” with “ID” (identification). In many datasets or inventory systems, a beadid is an alphanumeric code that may encode bead properties such as size, shape, finish, color, and batch or origin. Because encoding schemes differ among suppliers, beadids can look very different from one catalog to another.

Applications of beadids occur across museums, bead manufacturers, retailers, and hobbyist workflows. In museums and archival bead collections, beadids support provenance checks, inventory control, and parts replacement. Online marketplaces and catalogs may display a BeadID to distinguish visually similar beads and to link product pages to detailed metadata. In manufacturing and quality control, beadids can function at the lot or item level to trace production history and certifications.

Variants and standards are not unified for beadids. Many practitioners rely on internal SKU systems, catalog or accession numbers, or bespoke coding schemes. When used publicly, a beadid is typically accompanied by metadata such as material, size, color family, finish, and source.

See also: beadwork, inventory management, SKU, cataloging, provenance.