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.
Products: 2264
Labradorite Plated 10mm Round Faceted - 15-16 Inch - CLEARANCE
Labradorite is remarkable for the way its aggregate layers refract light, creating iridescent flashes of blue, gold, pale green or copper red. This...
View full detailsLapis A Grade 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Lapis is a semi to precious stone and one of the most sought after throughout history. It is highly regarded for its beautiful blue color flecked w...
View full detailsLava 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Lava is rock from the molten center of the earth, once spewed through fractures in the planetary crust or from a volcanic eruption. Once cooled, th...
View full detailsLemurian Aquatine Calcite 10mm Round- 15-16 Inch (Blue Onyx)
This unique stone is named after a now debunked theory of a continent called “Lemuria” thought to have sunk into the Indian Ocean. Though it is wid...
View full detailsLIGHT Bahi (Palm) 10mm Round 15-16 Inch
Bahi Wood comes from Palm trees. The light color indicates that it was harvested from a young tree. Young trees cannot be legally harvested, and th...
View full detailsMadre de Cacao Wood 10mm Round Bead - 15-16 Inch
Madre de Cacao is a very hard tropical wood with a visible grain. This species is formally identified as Gliricidia sepium and can be found by diff...
View full detailsMATTE Purple Sardonyx (dyed) 10mm Star Cut Round - 15-16 Inch
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 detailsMATTE River Stone 10mm Round 15-16 Inch
River Stone is a form of limestone composed of quartz, calcium carbonate and other materials. Naturally beautiful, it offers a way to work a neutra...
View full detailsMexican Black & Red Zebra Jasper 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Mexican Black and Red Zebra Jasper has banded and marbled patterns of translucent to opaque milky white, black and red. Jasper has a long and illus...
View full detailsMexican Laguna Lace Agate 10mm Round - 15-16 inch
Mexican Laguna Lace Agate is one of the most prized agates in the world. It is a variety of banded Chalcedony with layers that may contain scarlet,...
View full detailsMixed Stone 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Mookaite 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Mookaite is a variety of Jasper in colors of red, burgundy, pink, mauve, purple, yellow and white. It takes its name from Mooka Creek, near the Ken...
View full detailsMoonstone 10mm Round 15-16 Inch
Rainbow Moonstone is named for its moon-like glow or chatoyancy, as well as a prismatic quality that differentiates it from other varieties of Moon...
View full detailsMorganite 10mm Round Faceted A Grade - 15-16 Inch - CLEARANCE
Morganite gets its pink hue from the presence of manganese or cesium in the stone. It's actually a pink variety of Beryl -- the family of gemstones...
View full detailsMoss Agate 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Moss Agate is a variety of Chalcedony, clear to milky white to dark green, with inclusions that appear in patterns similar to moss or lichen. The i...
View full detailsMulti Tourmaline 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsMulti Tourmaline 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsMulti Tourmaline Faceted 10mm Cube - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsNangka Wood 10mm Round Bead - 15-16 Inch
Nangka is the name commonly used in the Philippines for the Jackfruit Tree, which can be found throughout South and Southeast Asia. Its proper name...
View full detailsNoreena Jasper 10mm Round - 15-16 inch
Noreena Jasper is a silicified pelite or mudstone mined in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is known for its abstract designs in rusty r...
View full detailsOrange Garnet 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsPeach Moonstone 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Moonstone naturally occurs in a broad spectrum of colors, but is most commonly associated with white, gray and peach. Its soft chatoyancy is remini...
View full detailsPeach Moonstone 10mm Round Faceted A Grade - 15-16 Inch - CLEARANCE
Moonstone naturally occurs in a broad spectrum of colors, but is most commonly associated with white, gray and peach. Its soft chatoyancy is remins...
View full detailsPeach Moonstone 10mm Faceted Energy Prism A Grade - 15-16 Inch
Moonstone naturally occurs in a broad spectrum of colors, but is most commonly associated with white, gray and peach. Its soft chatoyancy is remini...
View full detailsPietersite 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Pietersite has been called the Tempest Stone for its colors of deep blue and gray with metallic gold and flashes of brilliant chatoyancy as it catc...
View full detailsPink Tourmaline with Pink Lepidolite 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Pink Tourmaline ranges in color from light pink to deep magenta, with inclusions of white to colorless translucent or transparent. Tourmaline occur...
View full detailsRainbow Jade (Natural) 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Jade refers to an ornamental mineral, mostly known for its green varieties. Jade has been used for tens of thousands of years, initially as tools b...
View full detailsRainbow Moonstone Banded 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Rainbow Moonstone is named for its moon-like glow or chatoyancy, as well as a prismatic quality that differentiates it from other varieties of Moon...
View full detailsRainbow Obsidian 10mm Round - 15-16 inch
Rainbow Obsidian earned its name from the chatoyant, rainbow effect of light refracting off of the air bubbles inside of the stone. Like all obsidi...
View full detailsRed Creek Jasper 10mm Round - 15-16 inch
Red Creek Jasper is named for the Red River in china where the stone was recently discovered. Its colors include burnt red, mustard yellow, olive g...
View full detailsRed Garnet 10mm Round Faceted - 15-16 Inch - CLEARANCE
Red Garnet is the most commonly known type of Garnet, which occurs in many colors. Garnet has been used for adornment and spirituality by myriad cu...
View full detailsRed Garnet Faceted 10mm Energy Prism - 15-16 Inch
Red Garnet is the most commonly known type of Garnet, which occurs in many colors. Garnet has been used for adornment and spirituality by myriad cu...
View full detailsRiver Stone 10mm Round 15-16 Inch
River Stone is a form of limestone composed of quartz, calcium carbonate and other materials. Naturally beautiful, it offers a way to work a neutra...
View full detailsRobles Wood 10mm Round Bead - 15-16 Inch
Robles is a light, strong tropical wood native to the Philippines. Like all of Dakota Stones items, our wood beads are top quality and sourced fr...
View full detailsRocky Butte 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Rocky Butte Jasper is mined in Oregon and may have either dendritic or landscape qualities. It may also be called Rocky Butte Picture Jasper. The c...
View full detailsRose Quartz Faceted 10mm Energy Prism - 15-16 Inch - CLEARANCE
Rose Quartz is a silicon dioxide crystal and one of the most common varieties of the Quartz family. It is a translucent to transparent stone with a...
View full detailsRosewood 10mm Round Bead - 15-16 Inch
Rosewood is a hardwood found in the Phillipines. The soft, blush color is deceptive, this wood variety is so hard that it is often used in heavy co...
View full detailsSage Agate 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Distinctive for its purple-and-gray tones, Sage Agate forms in volcanish ash, and features dark manganese dendrites throughout. The stone can also ...
View full detailsShungite 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Shungite is a black, lustrous, non-crystalline mineraloid consisting of a high percentage of carbon. It was first found in a deposit near Shunga vi...
View full detailsSodalite 10mm Faceted Round - 15-16 Inch
Sodalite is named for its sodium content and may be classified as a feldspathoid. Blue Sodalite is sometimes referred to as “poor man’s lapis” beca...
View full detailsSodalite 10mm Round 15-16 Inch
Sodalite is named for its sodium content and may be classified as a feldspathoid. Blue Sodalite is sometimes referred to as “poor man’s lapis” beca...
View full detailsSunset Dumortierite 10mm Faceted Round - 15-16 Inch
Sunset Dumortierite has a much brighter palette than regular Dumortierite, from light blue to lapis blue to cobalt, as well as some occurrences of ...
View full detailsTerahertz 10mm Lantern Faceted - 15-16 Inch
Terahertz is a spectacular man made ore. It shines and sparkles like a diamond making it an exceptional addition to any jewelry piece. It has treme...
View full detailsTerahertz 10mm Double Heart Faceted - 15-16 Inch
Terahertz is a spectacular man made ore. It shines and sparkles like a diamond making it an exceptional addition to any jewelry piece. It has treme...
View full detailsTerahertz 10mm Round Triangle-Faceted - 15-16 Inch - CLEARANCE
Terahertz is a spectacular man made ore. It shines and sparkles like a diamond making it an exceptional addition to any jewelry piece. It has treme...
View full detailsTiger Eye 10mm Round - 15-16 inch
Tiger Eye is a macrocrystalline Quartz stone with bands of rich golds and browns. Its chatoyant layers that create a flash which seems to emanate f...
View full detailsTiger Eye Rainbow 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Tiger Eye is a macrocrystalline Quartz stone with bands of rich golds and browns. Its chatoyant layers that create a flash which seems to emanate f...
View full detailsTourmalated Quartz Green 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Tourmalated Quartz is clear Quartz that has formed with Black Tourmaline. These needle to like black inclusions of Tourmaline are quite striking wi...
View full detailsFrequently 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.