These come in the shape of a tube (in silver, gold, or gold-filled) or a sphere (base metal), and are literally little beads. They are used most often with beading wire to finish the ends of a beaded piece of jewelry. While you can use flat-nosed pliers to close crimp beads around beading wire, there are also special crimping pliers available to get a more finished look. For instructions and tips for proper crimping, read
Conquer Your Crimps.