16-Inch Gemstones
The 16-inch strand is the industry standard—and no one stocks more of them than Dakota Stones. Browse more than 200 stone types across every color and pattern, from everyday staples like Amethyst and Jasper to collector favorites such as Red Garnet and rare Turquoise mine-runs. Because the strands measure a full 15 – 16 inches, you get enough beads for matching earring pairs, stretch bracelets, or a necklace focal and still have extras for accents.
Need to drill down fast? Use the filter bar to sort by Stone Type when you know the gem you want, or by Color when you’re building a palette first. Shapes range from classic rounds and rondelles to cubes, heishi, chips, and rare designer cuts—each strand calibrated for even sizing and smooth stringing.
Whether you’re a hobbyist replenishing a bead board or a pro assembling a full production run, this category is the workhorse of our catalog: reliable lengths, vast variety, and new additions arriving every month. Dive in, filter your way to the perfect strand, and keep your design queue flowing with Dakota Stones’ biggest collection.
Black Lepidolite 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$18.00
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$18.00
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A particularly soft stone, Lepidolite has a glassy or lustrous sheen. It is the most abundant lithium-bearing mineral as well as a significant sour...
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$18.00
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$18.00
Black Lepidolite 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$27.00
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$27.00
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$27.00
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$27.00
A particularly soft stone, Lepidolite has a glassy or lustrous sheen. It is the most abundant lithium-bearing mineral as well as a significant sour...
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$27.00
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$27.00
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$27.00
$27.00
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$27.00
Black Tourmaline 8mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch
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$18.00
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$18.00
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$18.00
Black Tourmaline is a black crystalline aluminum borosilicate mineral with occasional light gray inclusions that appear as flecks or veins. Tourmal...
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$18.00
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$18.00
Black Tourmaline 10mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch
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$22.00
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$22.00
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$22.00
$22.00
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$22.00
Black Tourmaline is a black crystalline aluminum borosilicate mineral with occasional light gray inclusions that appear as flecks or veins. Tourmal...
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$22.00
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$22.00
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$22.00
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$22.00
Sardonyx 6mm Hexagon - 15-16 Inch
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$33.00
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$33.00
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$33.00
$33.00
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$33.00
Sardonyx has a Sard base, typically of brown or black, with bands of white Onyx running through it. Sard is not Onyx, but rather a dark variety of ...
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$33.00
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$33.00
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Black Opal 7x9-8x10mm Pebble - 15-16-Inch
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$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
$23.00
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$23.00
Black Opal is a naturally occurring variety of precious opal mined in Australia. this opal variety is characterized by their dark base tone. It is ...
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Sardonyx 7x8mm Faceted Round Nugget - 15-16 Inch
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$18.00
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$18.00
Sardonyx has a Sard base, typically of brown or black, with bands of white Onyx running through it. Sard is not Onyx, but rather a dark variety of ...
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Black Tourmaline 5x10-20mm Top Drill Teeth - 15-16-Inch
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$15.00
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$15.00
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$15.00
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$15.00
Black Tourmaline is a black crystalline aluminum borosilicate mineral with occasional light gray inclusions that appear as flecks or veins. Tourmal...
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$15.00
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$15.00
Black Rutilated Quartz 4mm Micofaceted Round - 15-16 Inch
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$12.00
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$12.00
Rutilated Quartz is a silicon dioxide mineral with unique needle-like inclusions of Rutile. These “needles” usually appear golden, but can also app...
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Silver Obsidian 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch
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$10.00
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$10.00
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$10.00
$10.00
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$10.00
Essentially a volcanic glass, Obsidian ranges in color from opaque black, to green, brown, mahogany, black with rainbow colors, black with snowflak...
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$10.00
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$10.00
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$10.00
$10.00
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$10.00
Black Tourmaline 7x8mm Faceted Swirl Oval - 15-16 Inch
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$27.00
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$27.00
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$27.00
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$27.00
Black Tourmaline is a black crystalline aluminum borosilicate mineral with occasional light gray inclusions that appear as flecks or veins. Tourmal...
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$27.00
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$27.00
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$27.00
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Black Rutilated Quartz 7x8mm Faceted Swirl Oval - 15-16 Inch
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$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
Rutilated Quartz is a silicon dioxide mineral with unique needle-like inclusions of Rutile. These “needles” usually appear golden, but can also app...
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$23.00
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$23.00
Onyx 7x8mm Faceted Rice Bead - 15-16 Inch
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$18.00
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Onyx is a black and white banded Chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline Quartz. It is often thought of as an all to black stone, and much of the black Ony...
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Black Spinel 3mm Table Cut Cube A Grade Bead - 15-16 Inch
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$13.00
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$13.00
Spinel is a hard vitreous magnesium aluminum oxide, and comes in a range of other colors, but those varieties are transparent. Black Spinel not onl...
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Black Web Jasper 2x6mm Thin Rondelle - 15-16 Inch
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$14.00
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$14.00
Jasper has a long and illustrious history, having been worn by shamans, priests and kings and believed to be a powerful protection stone. Ancient E...
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$14.00
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$14.00
Black Obsidian 2x6mm Thin Rondelle - 15-16 Inch
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Black Obsidian 13x15mm Faceted Top Drilled Irregular Tear Drop - 15-16 Inch
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$28.00
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Black Obsidian 8mm Faceted Puff Heart - 15-16 Inch
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$26.00
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Sardonyx 6x8mm Triangle Cut Faceted Rice Bead - 15-16 Inch
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$22.00
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$22.00
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$22.00
$22.00
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$22.00
Sardonyx has a Sard base, typically of brown or black, with bands of white Onyx running through it. Sard is not Onyx, but rather a dark variety of ...
View full details
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$22.00
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$22.00
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$22.00
Obsidian 8x10mm Triangle Cut Faceted Puff Oval - 15-16-Inch
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$26.00
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$26.00
Essentially a volcanic glass, Obsidian ranges in color from opaque black, to green, brown, mahogany, black with rainbow colors, black with snowflak...
View full details
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$26.00
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$26.00
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$26.00
Black Flower Tourmaline 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$11.00
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$11.00
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$11.00
Black Tourmaline is a black crystalline aluminum borosilicate mineral with occasional light gray inclusions that appear as flecks or veins. Tourmal...
View full details
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$11.00
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$11.00
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$11.00
Black Flower Tourmaline 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$13.00
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$13.00
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$13.00
$13.00
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$13.00
Black Tourmaline is a black crystalline aluminum borosilicate mineral with occasional light gray inclusions that appear as flecks or veins. Tourmal...
View full details
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$13.00
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$13.00
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$13.00
Black Flower Tourmaline 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
Black Tourmaline is a black crystalline aluminum borosilicate mineral with occasional light gray inclusions that appear as flecks or veins. Tourmal...
View full details
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
Black Flower Tourmaline 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$9.00
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$9.00
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$9.00
$9.00
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$9.00
Black Tourmaline is a black crystalline aluminum borosilicate mineral with occasional light gray inclusions that appear as flecks or veins. Tourmal...
View full details
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$9.00
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$9.00
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$9.00
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$9.00
Ancient Cellar Black Agate 12mm Matte Round - 15-16 Inch
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$6.40
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$6.40
Ancient Cellar Black Agate is a natural agate that is dyed and heated to give it the unique color and pattern we call Ancient Cellar.
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$6.40
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$6.40
Sale
Ancient Cellar Black Agate 12mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$16.00
$16.00
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$16.00
Ancient Cellar Black Agate is a natural agate that is dyed and heated to give it the unique color and pattern we call Ancient Cellar.
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$16.00
$16.00
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$16.00
Ancient Cellar Black Agate 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
Ancient Cellar Black Agate is a natural agate that is dyed and heated to give it the unique color and pattern we call Ancient Cellar.
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
Blue Black Porcelain Agate 10mm Matte Round - 15-16 inch
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
Porcelain Agate is a natural agate that is dyed and heated to give it the unique blue/black color and pattern that resembles porcelain.
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
Blue Black Porcelain Agate 12mm Matte Round - 15-16 inch
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$16.00
$16.00
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$16.00
Porcelain Agate is a natural agate that is dyed and heated to give it the unique blue/black color and pattern that resembles porcelain.
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$16.00
$16.00
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$16.00
Blue Black Porcelain Agate 12mm Round - 15-16 inch
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$16.00
$16.00
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$16.00
Porcelain Agate is a natural agate that is dyed and heated to give it the unique blue/black color and pattern that resembles porcelain.
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$16.00
$16.00
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$16.00
Blue Black Porcelain Agate 8mm Round - 15-16 inch
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$11.00
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$11.00
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$11.00
$11.00
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$11.00
Porcelain Agate is a natural agate that is dyed and heated to give it the unique blue/black color and pattern that resembles porcelain.
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$11.00
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$11.00
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$11.00
$11.00
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$11.00
Blue Black Porcelain Agate 10mm Round - 15-16 inch
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
$14.00
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$14.00
Porcelain Agate is a natural agate that is dyed and heated to give it the unique blue/black color and pattern that resembles porcelain.
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
$14.00
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$14.00
Black Obsidian 6mm Star - 15-16 Inch
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
Essentially a volcanic glass, Obsidian ranges in color from opaque black, to green, brown, mahogany, black with rainbow colors, black with snowflak...
View full details
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
Jet 16mm Round - 15-16 inch
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$121.00
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$121.00
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$121.00
$121.00
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$121.00
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$121.00
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$121.00
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$121.00
$121.00
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$121.00
Frequently asked questions
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What is a 16-inch strand and why is it the trade standard?
A 16-inch strand is the working length most US jewelry designers buy for design-grade work — necklaces, multi-strand layouts, and bulk component sourcing. It gives enough beads to lay out a full 18–20 inch necklace with clasp and findings, or to cut down into shorter assemblies without running short. The 16-inch length has been the trade default for decades because it standardizes pricing and bead-count math across stones and cuts. Dakota's 16-inch hub covers the full catalog at this length, across rounds, rondelles, faceted cuts, cubes, coins, and shape work. The bracelet counterpart is the 8-inch strand. -
How many beads per 16-inch strand at common sizes?
Approximate bead counts per 16-inch strand assume snug-strung beads with no spacer drift. At 2mm you get roughly 200 beads, at 3mm about 135, at 4mm about 100, at 6mm about 66, at 8mm about 50, at 10mm about 40, and at 12mm about 33. Faceted cuts, rondelles, and irregular shapes (pebble, nugget, coin) vary — count is driven by the bead's drilled axis, not its widest dimension. Exact count should be disclosed; ask before buying if a piece-count is critical for your design and isn't specified. -
16-inch vs 8-inch — which length for which project?
16-inch is the necklace and design-strand length: enough material for an 18–20 inch finished necklace, multi-strand torsades, long earring drops, or component cutting. 8-inch is the bracelet length: pre-cut to the wrist standard, sized for stretch-cord bracelets and single-wrap pieces. Designers running production bracelet lines typically buy 8-inch to skip the cut-down step; designers doing necklace work, statement pieces, or mixed assemblies buy 16-inch for the bead count and pricing efficiency. Both lengths share the same stones and cuts where stocked — the choice is about finished-piece geometry, not material grade. -
What stones and cuts does Dakota carry in 16-inch?
The 16-inch hub spans the full catalog. Most-stocked stones include agate, turquoise, quartz, jasper, tourmaline, moonstone, garnet, labradorite, opal, and amazonite, with deeper coverage across feldspar, chalcedony, and silica varieties. Cut coverage runs from smooth round and faceted round (the largest categories) through rondelle, microfaceted round, pebble and nugget, cube, table-cut cube, faceted cube, and coin. Standard sizes are 4mm, 6mm, 8mm, and 10mm, with 2mm and 3mm in microfaceted work and 12mm in larger statement rounds. Filter by stone, cut, or size to narrow the grid. -
How does Dakota measure 16-inch strand lengths?
Strand length is measured end-to-end along the drilled axis, beads strung snug with no gaps. A 16-inch strand can run 15.5 to 16.5 inches depending on bead shape and how the cutter finished the temporary string — irregular shapes (nugget, pebble, raw-faceted) sit at the looser end because the drill points don't always center on the bead's midline. Bead count per strand reflects this variance. Length and approximate count should be disclosed; if you need a tight tolerance for a calibrated production run, ask before buying so the team can pull and measure before shipping.