Semi-precious natural stones are what most bead jewelry artisans use today. Precious stones are more expensive and less abundant than semi-precious stones. Common semi-precious stones are agate, jade, quartz, jasper, and turquoise. You can find more expensive varieties of semi-precious stones in emeralds, rubies, amethysts, and citrines.
Have you ever wondered how semiprecious stones are formed? Everything is hand made. The quality and cost of semi-precious stones are determined primarily by where they are made. India produces some of the most affordable gemstones. Gemstone beads from India are very colorful and beautiful, but their shapes and sizes are less consistent than the more expensive gemstones made in China.
Gemstones that are oil-treated, dyed, heat-treated, or wax-injected enhance the appearance of a lesser-quality gemstone. Treated stones are less valuable than untreated stones. A synthetic stone is still different from a treated gemstone.
You will find many synthetic stones made into jewelry in mass quantities and sold in common retail chains. Synthetic gemstone beads are not really stones. I have seen bags of synthetic gemstone beads sold at places like Hobby Lobby and Wal-mart. Many of our brand name retailers carry jewelry made from synthetic gemstone beads.
It is rare for a beaded jewelry artisan to use synthetic beads. We mainly use semi-precious and precious stones for jewelry projects. Synthetic gemstones are generally considered inferior to natural, untreated semi-precious stones.
The common forms of accounts in general are:
round
tube
Cube
oval
drop
barrel
bicone
corner
dad
rice
melon
wafer or disc
Keishi
French fries
chick
donut
heishi
button
slow
washing machine
Gemstone beads come in a variety of shapes and styles, including:
Quartz
Agate
Obsidian
Cornelian
citrine
labradorite
fluorite
Amethyst
amazonite
lapis lazuli
Malachite
Aquamarine
sodalite
Onyx
sardonyx
azurite
Jasper
gold stone
Rhodonite
Aventurine
unakite
Garnet
Turquoise
howlite
bronzitas
much, much, more
You can find them in sizes from 4mm to 12mm and up. There are also puff tokens and coins in the semi-precious gemstone family.
With such a variety as there is for beaded jewelry artisans today, creativity is skyrocketing, and the market for beaded jewelry made of semi-precious stones is also skyrocketing.
Aventurine is one of my favorite semi-precious gemstones. It is a green form of Quartz. Cuts include ovals, rounds, chips, rectangles, and more. It is also sometimes called “new jade”. Aventurine is also interesting because it sometimes has inclusions that are due to green fuchsite mica which creates a beautiful mottling that is different from genuine jadeite.