A reflective display having a plurality of transparent hemi-beads (60), each having a reflective region (80) surrounding a non-reflective region (82). Light absorbing, electrostatically charged ions are dissolved in an electrophoretic medium (20) maintained adjacent the hemi-beads. A voltage applied across the medium moves many ions into an evanescent wave region adjacent the hemi-beads where the ions absorb light, frustrating TIR at the reflective regions. Ions in the evanescent wave region also absorb light which does not undergo TIR and which would otherwise pass through the non-reflective regions. An opposite voltage applied across the medium moves many ions away from the hemi-beads, allowing light to undergo TIR at the reflective regions. The display's brightness can be enhanced by providing a backplane electrode (48) having reflective regions (108; 110, 112) for reflecting back through the hemi-beads light which passes through the non-reflective regions to the backplane electrode.