In the popular crafts of beading and jewelry making, semi-precious gemstones form some of the most beautiful beads. These stone beads can be found in any size or shape: from tiny chips to large carved beads or natural shapes. Although there are dozens of semi-precious stone varieties, the below list encompasses some of the more popular ones used in costume jewelry creation.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Agate
Agate is the most varied of all the semi-precious gemstone beads. It comes in many different color varieties and patterns. Black agate has colors from black to brown and golden. Blue lace agate is mostly white with delicate blue striations. Old crazy lace agate has stripes and swirls in neutral colors. There is also golden, green, fossil, red and white agate.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Amethyst
Amethyst is a purple stone that can be either opaque or translucent. Its name stems from a Greek myth about Bacchus pouring his purple wine over a woman who had been turned into a white gemstone. Amethyst ranges in tone from very pale lavender to dark purple.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Aventurine
Aventurine is an opaque semi-precious gemstone with tiny flecks of sparkly mica within it. It comes in many colors such as blue, dark or emerald green, peach or red.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Carnelian
This semi-precious gemstone comes from South America and is a variety or transparent chalcedony. It varies in tone from bright golden to deep, fiery red.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Fluorite
The name of the stone fluorite comes from the Latin word for “to flow.” It comes in varying colors from pale lavender to rainbow fluorite, which covers white, green, and purple with the occasional yellow splash. It is translucent.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Garnet
Garnet is most usually thought of as a dark red stone that is either semi-transparent to opaque. The garnet family also includes hessonite, which ranges in tone from light brown to golden and orange. There is also tsavorite, which is green.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Howlite
In its natural state, howlite is opaque white with gray marbling. Howlite is frequently dyed to look like other semi-precious gemstones like lapis lazuli, turquoise and red coral.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Jasper
This semi-precious gemstone comes in many different colors and styles. Jasper is often mottled or striated in appearance. It ranges in tone from soft peaches, dark red and olive, black and white Dalmatian spotted, neutral tones leopard skin style, white and silver-gray.
Choosing which semi-precious gemstone bead type to use in your next craft or jewelry making project can be fun. There are so many styles and colors of stone beads to choose from. Not only are the gemstones different from each other, but the natural variations within one type can also be vast. Semi-precious gemstone beads make great materials for your beading projects.