What type of bead to use?

Hi,
I want to make some articulated toys from wood, strung together with
nylon cord. There will be beads between the wooden components, acting
as decorative spacers. Some of the constructions will be quite rigid
and some will need to be more flexible. I would ideally like the beads
to be colorful and shiny but their most important feature will need to
be their resistance to the pressures caused by the flexing wooden
components. Can anyone please tell me what kind of bead would be most
suitable for this job?

Kind regards,
Lila Duncan