Not all ancient beads perfectly match the color chips selected for the Munsell Bead Color Book, but exceptions are rare and can easily be recorded. The Munsell system introduces a new degree of precision to early medieval bead studies, with the potential to tell us more not just about how people perceived and used beads, but also about how they interacted with the wider world around them. (Photo: Author. Bornholms Museum, Rønne, Denmark.)