This paper is written in the hope that it may assist in getting more uniformity in the description of beads. At the present time there is no general agreement between different archaeologists as to how a bead should be described. For my own work I have found it essential to have some classification and nomenclature, and I have endeavoured in this paper to work out a system applicable to the beads of all countries. I will give two instances showing the necessity for some definitions. The first is that I consulted two well-known archaeologists, working on the beads of different countries, as to what they considered a disc bead. They did not agree, in fact the only point on which they did agree was that no bead called a disc bead by the other should be called a disc bead. The second instance is taken from the Antiquaries Journal for July 1925, where it is stated that a coloured Anglo-Saxon bead of the usual type was found.