Bead World Gems

Approximate beads per strand: 26 What is it: Aquamarine is a blue variety of beryl. It occurs in most sites which yield ordinary beryl. Well-known varieties of beryl are emeralds and aquamarine...

Approximate beads per strand: 35 What is it: Lapis lazuli, or just lapis, is a deep blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized for thousands of years for its intense...

Approximate beads per strand: 95 What is it: Spinel gets its name comes from the Latin word "spinella", which means spine, refering to its pointed crystals.  It can be found in many different...

Approximate beads per strand: 55 What is it: Chevron beads are a glass bead first created by Venetians in Northern Italy in the late 1400s. They are allso called Rosetta and Star beads.  ...

Approximate beads per strand: 90 What is it: American Turquoise was originally discovered by Native Americans over a 1000 years ago. It is known for its beautiful sky blue color and many variations...

Approximate beads per strand: 65 What is it: Howlite is a borate mineral, which occurs in Canada and parts of the USA. It forms as irregular nodules which can appear in the shape of a cauliflower...

Approximate beads per strand: 95 What is it: American Turquoise was originally discovered by Native Americans over a 1000 years ago. It is known for its beautiful sky blue color and many variations...

Approximate beads per strand: 48 What is it: Kunzite is the best known as a variety of the mineral spodumene. Kunzite's color comes from trace amounts of manganese. This crystal is naturally:...

Approximate beads per strand: 48 What is it: Charoite is a translucent, pearly, and rare silicate material. The discovery of charoite was sometime during the 1940s, yet it's considered a relatively...

Approximate beads per strand: 38 What is it: Jade is a variety of the calcium, magnesium, and iron-rich minerals. There are two different mineral species of Jade: Jadeite and nephrite. Jadeite...

Approximate beads per strand: 65 What is it: Jade is a variety of the calcium, magnesium, and iron-rich minerals. There are two different mineral species of Jade: Jadeite and nephrite. Jadeite...

Approximate beads per strand: 65 What is it: Lepidolite is a rare lithium-rich mica gemstone that is usually pink, red, or purple in color. Most lepidolite is in this color range, however; can very...

Approximate beads per strand: 70 What is it: Tourmaline is part of a large group of boron silicate minerals with a wide range of colors. It has a Mohs hardness of 7 to 7.5. History: In the 1500s, a...

Approximate beads per strand: 95 What is it: Chrome diopside is a transparent to translucent variety of gemstone containing calcium magnesium silicate. It is of the rarer varieties of diopside and...

Approximate beads per strand: 50 What is it: Rhodonite is a rose pink to dark red gemstone with black inclusions. Rhodonite is found in Australia, Finland, Japan, Canada, Madagascar, Mexico, Russia,...

Approximate beads per strand: 42 What is it: Labradorite exhibit iridescent blue, green, red, orange, and yellow colors. Labradorite is so well known for these spectacular displays of color...

Approximate beads per strand: 45 What is it: Garnet can be found in many colors including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, brown, black and clear, with red shades being the most...

Approximate beads per strand: 50 What is it: K2 is a stone exclusively found on the K2 mountains bordering Pakistan and China. K2 is the second largest mountain in the world. History: The earliest...

Approximate beads per strand: 110 What is it: Herkimer diamonds are not actually diamonds, but double-terminated quartz crystals discovered in and around Herkimer County, New York. They...

Approximate beads per strand: 38 What is it: Lapis lazuli, or just lapis, is a deep blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized for thousands of years for its intense...

Approximate beads per strand: 36 What is it: A ruby is a pink to red colored gemstone, a variety of corundum. Ruby is the birthstone for July. Ruby is used in all forms of jewelry,...

Approximate beads per strand: 38 Origin: Gobi Desert What is it: Agate is a variety of banded microcrystalline quartz, or chalcedony. There are a vast amount of varieties of agate. Usually, each...

Approximate beads per strand: 45 Origin: Gobi Desert What is it: Agate is a variety of banded microcrystalline quartz, or chalcedony. There are a vast amount of varieties of agate. Usually, each...

Approximate beads per strand: 65 Origin: Gobi Desert What is it: Agate is a variety of banded microcrystalline quartz, or chalcedony. There are a vast amount of varieties of agate. Usually, each...

Approximate beads per strand: 95 What is it: Unlike American turquoise which is usually identified by the specific mine, Chinese turquoise has normally been referred to as Chinese turquoise, even...

Approximate beads per strand: 150 What is it: Hematite is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth's surface and in the shallow crust. It is an iron oxide with a chemical composition of Fe2O3...

Approximate beads per strand: 190 What is it: Spinel gets its name comes from the Latin word "spinella", which means spine, refering to its pointed crystals.  It can be found in many different...

Approximate beads per strand: 95 What is it: Kyanite is an aluminum silicate mineral, and often occurs as long, striated crystals that may be transparent or translucent with a pearlescent sheen. The...

Approximate beads per strand: 190 What is it: Coral is one of few organic gems. It is the exoskeleton of small animals (coral) that create their branching homes from calcium carbonate dissolved in...

Approximate beads per strand: 65 What is it: African Turquoise is called Turquoise, although it is actually not turquoise. It is actually a form of jasper mined in Africa. This stone is a beautiful...

Approximate beads per strand: 21 What is it: Amazonite is also known as the Amazon Stone. It is a light green to light bluish-green color gemstone, with a soft color that can closely resemble Jade...

Approximate beads per strand: 22 What is it: Quartz is a common variety of silicon dioxide that often crystallizes into well-formed hexagonal prisms. It occurs in many colors, including purple...

Approximate beads per strand: 170 What is it: Herkimer diamonds are not actually diamonds, but double-terminated quartz crystals discovered in and around Herkimer County, New York. They...

Approximate beads per strand: 120 What is it: Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica; its water content ranges from 3-21% by weight, but is usually between 6-10%. Depending on formation...

Approximate beads per strand: 190 What is it: Mother of pearl, also known as Nacre, is an organic and inorganic material produced by select mollusks as an inner shell layer, it also makes up the...

Approximate beads per strand: 190 What is it: Mother of pearl, also known as Nacre, is an organic and inorganic material produced by select mollusks as an inner shell layer, it also makes up the...

Approximate beads per strand: 120 What is it: Opalite is a man-made glass that resembles the mineral opal. Opalite predominantly consists of dolomite fused with metal. History:...

Approximate beads per strand: 44 What is it: Citrine is a variety of quartz with colors ranging between pale yellow to brown due to ferric (salt) impurities. Visually, it is nearly impossible...

Approximate beads per strand: 38 What is it: Phosphosiderite gets the first part of it's name from containing phosphorous, phospho, and iron, siderite. The second part of it's name comes from the...

Approximate beads per strand: 45 What is it: Phosphosiderite gets the first part of it's name from containing phosphorous, phospho, and iron, siderite. The second part of it's name comes from the...