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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.

Rhodochrosite 4mm Round Faceted - 15-16 Inch

Original price $24.00 - Original price $24.00
Original price $24.00
$24.00 - $24.00
Current price $24.00
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Rhodochrosite is a bubblegum pink to rose red stone, with occasional inclusions of creamy white and dark grey. A manganese carbonate material of th...

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Original price $24.00 - Original price $24.00
Original price $24.00
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Current price $24.00
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Orange Garnet 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
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Orange or Hessonite Garnet is sometimes called “Cinnamon Stone” for its orange to orange to brown color as well as for its origin in the land of sp...

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Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
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Current price $13.00
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Blue Apatite Multi 4mm Round Faceted - 15-16 Inch

Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
Original price $14.00
$14.00 - $14.00
Current price $14.00
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Blue Apatite ranges in color from light teal to blue to bright blue to dark blue to green. It can be easily confused with other minerals due to its...

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Current price $14.00
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Purple Garnet 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $20.00 - Original price $20.00
Original price $20.00
$20.00 - $20.00
Current price $20.00
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Purple Garnet is a magenta to purple variety of the famous stone. Garnet has been used for adornment and spirituality by myriad cultures and civili...

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Current price $20.00
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Emerald 4mm Round Faceted - 15-16 Inch

Original price $40.00 - Original price $40.00
Original price $40.00
$40.00 - $40.00
Current price $40.00
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Emerald is one of the four “precious” gemstones, the others being Diamond, Ruby and Sapphire. It is the green form of Beryl, colored by trace amoun...

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Current price $40.00
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Rainbow Sapphire 4mm Round Faceted - 15-16 Inch

Original price $28.00 - Original price $28.00
Original price $28.00
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Current price $28.00
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Sapphires are precious gemstones, but unlike rubies, they come in a rainbow of colors besides red!  They are all varieties of the mineral corundum,...

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Current price $28.00
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Green Apatite 4mm Round Faceted - 15-16 Inch

Original price $15.00 - Original price $15.00
Original price $15.00
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Current price $15.00
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Green Apatite is a transparent to translucent stone that may be green, yellow to green or sea to green in color. Apatite has been labeled the “dece...

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Cubic Zirconia (CZ) 3mm Round Light Yellow Pearl (Synthetic) - 14.5-15 Inch

Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
Original price $11.00
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Current price $11.00
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Zircon occurs in a variety of colors including yellow, green, red, reddish brown and blue hues, as well as colorless. Colorless Zircon of the highe...

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Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
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Current price $11.00
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Cubic Zirconia (CZ) 3mm Round Light Blue Pearl (Synthetic) - 14.5-15 Inch

Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
Original price $11.00
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Current price $11.00
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Zircon occurs in a variety of colors including yellow, green, red, reddish brown and blue hues, as well as colorless. Colorless Zircon of the highe...

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Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
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Current price $11.00
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Cubic Zirconia (CZ) 3mm Round Light Orange Pearl (Synthetic) - 14.5-15 Inch

Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
Original price $11.00
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Current price $11.00
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Zircon occurs in a variety of colors including yellow, green, red, reddish brown and blue hues, as well as colorless. Colorless Zircon of the highe...

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Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
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Cubic Zirconia (CZ) 3mm Round Ruby Faceted (Synthetic) - 15-16 Inch

Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
Original price $12.00
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Current price $12.00
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Zircon occurs in a variety of colors including yellow, green, red, reddish brown and blue hues, as well as colorless. Colorless Zircon of the highe...

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Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
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Current price $12.00
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Cubic Zirconia (CZ) 3mm Round Emerald Green Faceted (Synthetic) - 15-16 Inch

Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
Original price $12.00
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Current price $12.00
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Zircon occurs in a variety of colors including yellow, green, red, reddish brown and blue hues, as well as colorless. Colorless Zircon of the highe...

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Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
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Current price $12.00
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Cubic Zirconia (CZ) 3mm Round Dark Grey Pearl (Synthetic) - 14.5-15 Inch

Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
Original price $11.00
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Current price $11.00
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Zircon occurs in a variety of colors including yellow, green, red, reddish brown and blue hues, as well as colorless. Colorless Zircon of the highe...

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Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
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Current price $11.00
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Cubic Zirconia (CZ) 3mm Round White Sand Pearl (Synthetic) - 14.5-15 Inch

Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
Original price $11.00
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Current price $11.00
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Zircon occurs in a variety of colors including yellow, green, red, reddish brown and blue hues, as well as colorless. Colorless Zircon of the highe...

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Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
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Current price $11.00
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Cubic Zirconia (CZ) 3mm Round Light Brown Pearl (Synthetic) - 14.5-15 Inch

Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
Original price $11.00
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Current price $11.00
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Zircon occurs in a variety of colors including yellow, green, red, reddish brown and blue hues, as well as colorless. Colorless Zircon of the highe...

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Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
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Current price $11.00
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Cubic Zirconia (CZ) 3mm Round Dark Olive Faceted (Synthetic) - 15-16 Inch

Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
Original price $10.00
$10.00 - $10.00
Current price $10.00
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Zircon occurs in a variety of colors including yellow, green, red, reddish brown and blue hues, as well as colorless. Colorless Zircon of the highe...

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Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
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Current price $10.00
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Cubic Zirconia (CZ) 3mm Round Light Smoky Rhodonite Faceted (Synthetic) - 15-16 Inch

Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
Original price $12.00
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Current price $12.00
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Cubic Zirconia, abbreviated as CZ, is a lab-made form of zirconium dioxide. Made to resemble Diamonds, these stones offer the same beauty and spark...

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Cubic Zirconia (CZ) 3mm Round Lapis Pearl (Synthetic) - 14.5-15 Inch

Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
Original price $11.00
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Current price $11.00
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Zircon occurs in a variety of colors including yellow, green, red, reddish brown and blue hues, as well as colorless. Colorless Zircon of the highe...

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Cubic Zirconia (CZ) 3mm Round White Pearl (Synthetic) - 14.5-15 Inch

Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
Original price $11.00
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Current price $11.00
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Zircon occurs in a variety of colors including yellow, green, red, reddish brown and blue hues, as well as colorless. Colorless Zircon of the highe...

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Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
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Black Opal 4mm Round Faceted - 15-16 Inch

Original price $44.00 - Original price $44.00
Original price $44.00
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Current price $44.00
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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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Current price $44.00
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Multi Spinel 3mm Round Banded Faceted - 13 Inch

Original price $32.00 - Original price $32.00
Original price $32.00
$32.00 - $32.00
Current price $32.00
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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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Original price $32.00 - Original price $32.00
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Heliodor 10mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $72.00 - Original price $72.00
Original price $72.00
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Current price $72.00
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Heliodor is a yellow, greenish yellow, or golden-yellow color of the mineral beryl. The yellowish colors of heliodor are usually caused by small am...

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Original price $72.00 - Original price $72.00
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Current price $72.00
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Wampum Shell 12mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $143.00 - Original price $143.00
Original price $143.00
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Current price $143.00
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Wampum is made from one of the hardest and most beautiful shells in the world: the Northern Quahog, a clam found along the New England coast. The w...

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Original price $143.00 - Original price $143.00
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Current price $143.00
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Wampum Shell 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $132.00 - Original price $132.00
Original price $132.00
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Current price $132.00
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Wampum is made from one of the hardest and most beautiful shells in the world: the Northern Quahog, a clam found along the New England coast. The w...

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Original price $132.00 - Original price $132.00
Original price $132.00
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Turquoise and Spiny Oyster 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $77.00 - Original price $77.00
Original price $77.00
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Current price $77.00
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Turquoise is an ancient gemstone, one of the first known to man. Known to Egyptian and Aztec cultures thousands of years ago, Turquoise is now mine...

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Original price $77.00 - Original price $77.00
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Current price $77.00
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Amazonite 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $25.00 - Original price $25.00
Original price $25.00
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Current price $25.00
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Brazilian Amazonite is an opaque blue to green to light green stone, often occurring with inclusions of white, yellow or gray and occasionally tran...

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Current price $25.00
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Peach Moonstone 14mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $40.00 - Original price $40.00
Original price $40.00
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Current price $40.00
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Moonstone naturally occurs in a broad spectrum of colors, but is most commonly associated with white, gray and peach. Its soft chatoyancy is remini...

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Prehnite 6mm Round AAA Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $24.00 - Original price $24.00
Original price $24.00
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Current price $24.00
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Prehnite was the first mineral to be named after a person: its discoverer, Dutch Colonel Hendrik Von Prehn. Von Prehn discovered the stone in South...

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Prehnite 8mm Round AAA Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $36.00 - Original price $36.00
Original price $36.00
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Current price $36.00
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Prehnite was the first mineral to be named after a person: its discoverer, Dutch Colonel Hendrik Von Prehn. Von Prehn discovered the stone in South...

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Original price $36.00 - Original price $36.00
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Ruby Zoisite 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $24.00 - Original price $24.00
Original price $24.00
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Current price $24.00
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Ruby Zoisite occurs naturally when small Ruby crystals become embedded within Zoisite. The Ruby inclusions in this stone are pink to reddish purple...

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Crystal Quartz 15mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $78.00 - Original price $78.00
Original price $78.00
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Current price $78.00
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Crystal Quartz is a naturally occurring clear and colorless Quartz. It is a crystalline form of Quartz said to have many divine properties includin...

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Original price $78.00 - Original price $78.00
Original price $78.00
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Current price $78.00
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Crystal Quartz 12mm Round Carved - 15-16 Inch

Original price $40.00 - Original price $40.00
Original price $40.00
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Current price $40.00
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Crystal Quartz is a naturally occurring clear and colorless Quartz. It is a crystalline form of Quartz said to have many divine properties includin...

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Original price $40.00 - Original price $40.00
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Black Spinel 5mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $15.00 - Original price $15.00
Original price $15.00
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Current price $15.00
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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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Original price $15.00 - Original price $15.00
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Current price $15.00
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Black Moonstone 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $31.00 - Original price $31.00
Original price $31.00
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Current price $31.00
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Moonstone naturally occurs in a broad spectrum of colors, but is most commonly associated with white, gray and peach. It's soft chatoyancy is remin...

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Original price $31.00 - Original price $31.00
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Current price $31.00
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Pink Mica Quartz 6mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $23.00 - Original price $23.00
Original price $23.00
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Current price $23.00
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Mica is a mineral name given to a group of minerals that are physically and chemically similar. They are all silicate minerals, known as sheet sil...

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Pink Mica Quartz 8mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $32.00 - Original price $32.00
Original price $32.00
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Current price $32.00
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Mica is a mineral name given to a group of minerals that are physically and chemically similar. They are all silicate minerals, known as sheet sil...

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Original price $32.00 - Original price $32.00
Original price $32.00
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Tourmaline 6mm Round Banded - 15-16 Inch

Original price $45.00 - Original price $45.00
Original price $45.00
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Current price $45.00
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Tourmaline is classified as a semiprecious stone and occurs in a vast array of colors, everything from colorless to black, from pastel to bright to...

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Hubei Cool Blue Turquoise 6mm Round AA Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $62.00 - Original price $62.00
Original price $62.00
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Current price $62.00
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Hubei Turquoise is sourced from Hubei Province in Northern China, one of the most recognized turquoise-producing regions in the world. This materia...

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Original price $62.00 - Original price $62.00
Original price $62.00
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Current price $62.00
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Hubei Blue Turquoise with Matrix 5mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $41.00 - Original price $41.00
Original price $41.00
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Current price $41.00
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Hubei Turquoise is sourced from Hubei Province in Northern China, one of the most recognized turquoise-producing regions in the world. This materia...

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Original price $41.00 - Original price $41.00
Original price $41.00
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Current price $41.00
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Aquamarine 6mm Faceted Round AAA Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $44.00 - Original price $44.00
Original price $44.00
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Current price $44.00
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Aquamarine is a transparent to translucent stone ranging from cerulean blue to light blue in higher grades. In lower grades it can be transparent t...

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Larimar 4mm Microfaceted Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $41.00 - Original price $41.00
Original price $41.00
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Current price $41.00
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Larimar is a translucent blue, turquoise and white stone that can have streaks and patterns of white, as well as red or brown either from oxidation...

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Sapphire 4mm Microfaceted Round AA Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $45.00 - Original price $45.00
Original price $45.00
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Current price $45.00
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Sapphires are precious gemstones, but unlike rubies, they come in a rainbow of colors besides red! They are all varieties of the mineral corundum,...

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Original price $45.00 - Original price $45.00
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Rhodochrosite 3mm Microfaceted Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $21.00 - Original price $21.00
Original price $21.00
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Current price $21.00
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Rhodochrosite is a bubblegum pink to rose red stone, with occasional inclusions of creamy white and dark grey. A manganese carbonate material of th...

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Original price $21.00 - Original price $21.00
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Tourmaline 4mm Banded Blue/Green Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $31.00 - Original price $31.00
Original price $31.00
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Current price $31.00
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Tourmaline is classified as a semiprecious stone and occurs in a vast array of colors, everything from colorless to black, from pastel to bright to...

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Original price $31.00 - Original price $31.00
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Current price $31.00
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Selenite 6mm Round Pastel Rainbow (Dyed) - 15-16 Inch

Original price $20.00 - Original price $20.00
Original price $20.00
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Current price $20.00
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Selenite is a crystal formed from the mineral gypsum, which comes in many forms and color variations, but has been used historically to describe th...

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Selenite 8mm Round Pastel Rainbow (Dyed) - 15-16 Inch

Original price $22.00 - Original price $22.00
Original price $22.00
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Current price $22.00
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Selenite is a crystal formed from the mineral gypsum, which comes in many forms and color variations, but has been used historically to describe th...

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Original price $22.00 - Original price $22.00
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Selenite 10mm Round Pastel Rainbow (Dyed) - 15-16 Inch

Original price $24.00 - Original price $24.00
Original price $24.00
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Selenite is a crystal formed from the mineral gypsum, which comes in many forms and color variations, but has been used historically to describe th...

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DZI Eye Agate 8mm Round Dark Green - 14-15 Inch

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“DZI” Agate is made to resemble beads first found in India between 1000 and 2000 BCE. These reproductions are designed in the traditional color, pa...

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Frequently asked questions

  • 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.