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
Birds Eye Rhyolite 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Bird’s Eye Rhyolite is named for its circular color formations of deep reds, light tans and earthtones. Rhyolite was named "streaming rock" because...
View full detailsRed Aventurine 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Red Aventurine is a peach to orange colored translucent Quartz with inclusions of Mica or other minerals. These inclusions give it a glistening eff...
View full detailsAmazonite 8mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch
Brazilian Amazonite is an opaque blue to green to light green stone, often occurring with inclusions of white, yellow or gray and occasionally tran...
View full detailsRed Aventurine 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Red Aventurine is a peach to orange colored translucent Quartz with inclusions of Mica or other minerals. These inclusions give it a glistening eff...
View full detailsAmazonite 10mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch
Brazilian Amazonite is an opaque blue to green to light green stone, often occurring with inclusions of white, yellow or gray and occasionally tran...
View full detailsBirds Eye Rhyolite 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Bird’s Eye Rhyolite is named for its circular color formations of deep reds, light tans and earthtones. Rhyolite was named "streaming rock" because...
View full detailsAgua Nueva Agate 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Agua Nueva Agate is sourced from the Agua Nueva Ranch near Chihuahua City, Mexico. The stone ranges in hue from green, gold and lavender to earthy ...
View full detailsRed Aventurine 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Red Aventurine is a peach to orange colored translucent Quartz with inclusions of Mica or other minerals. These inclusions give it a glistening eff...
View full detailsBronzite 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Bronzite is a brown stone with a bronze to colored metallic luster due to iron deposits within the stone. An orthoproxene mineral, it is believed t...
View full detailsBronzite 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Bronzite is a brown stone with a bronze to colored metallic luster due to iron deposits within the stone. An orthoproxene mineral, it is believed t...
View full detailsAgua Nueva Agate 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Agua Nueva Agate is sourced from the Agua Nueva Ranch near Chihuahua City, Mexico. The stone ranges in hue from green, gold and lavender to earthy ...
View full detailsBlack Silver Leaf Jasper 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Black Silverleaf Jasper is a rare form of Jasper, characterized by its color range of black, gray and white and its swirling, leafy patterns. It is...
View full detailsBronzite 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Bronzite is a brown stone with a bronze to colored metallic luster due to iron deposits within the stone. An orthoproxene mineral, it is believed t...
View full detailsBlue Goldstone 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Blue Goldstone is an opaque, midnight blue glass with flecks of copper suspended within it. These flecks glitter as they catch the light and may ap...
View full detailsBlue Goldstone 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Blue Goldstone is an opaque, midnight blue glass with flecks of copper suspended within it. These flecks glitter as they catch the light and may ap...
View full detailsBlue Goldstone 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Blue Goldstone is an opaque, midnight blue glass with flecks of copper suspended within it. These flecks glitter as they catch the light and may ap...
View full detailsMahogany Obsidian 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Essentially a volcanic glass, Obsidian ranges in color from opaque black, to green, brown, mahogany, black with rainbow colors, black with snowflak...
View full detailsGreen Goldstone 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Green Goldstone is an opaque, almost black glass with flecks of copper suspended within it. These flecks glitter as they catch the light and appear...
View full detailsBlue Goldstone 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Blue Goldstone is an opaque, midnight blue glass with flecks of copper suspended within it. These flecks glitter as they catch the light and may ap...
View full detailsFlower Jade 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Flower Jade is a form of Jadeite, a sodium aluminum silicate and one of the two minerals that are commonly known as “Jade,” the other being Nephrit...
View full detailsMahogany Obsidian 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Essentially a volcanic glass, Obsidian ranges in color from opaque black, to green, brown, mahogany, black with rainbow colors, black with snowflak...
View full detailsGreen Goldstone 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Green Goldstone is an opaque, almost black glass with flecks of copper suspended within it. These flecks glitter as they catch the light and appear...
View full detailsFlower Jade 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Flower Jade is a form of Jadeite, a sodium aluminum silicate and one of the two minerals that are commonly known as “Jade,” the other being Nephrit...
View full detailsMahogany Obsidian 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Essentially a volcanic glass, Obsidian ranges in color from opaque black, to green, brown, mahogany, black with rainbow colors, black with snowflak...
View full detailsGreen Goldstone 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Green Goldstone is an opaque, almost black glass with flecks of copper suspended within it. These flecks glitter as they catch the light and appear...
View full detailsMexican Red Snowflake Jasper 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Mexican Red Snowflake Jasper is a naturally occurring Jasper with deep red, bright red, pink and golden mottling and spots within the primarily bla...
View full detailsFlower Jade 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Flower Jade is a form of Jadeite, a sodium aluminum silicate and one of the two minerals that are commonly known as “Jade,” the other being Nephrit...
View full detailsMahogany Obsidian 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Essentially a volcanic glass, Obsidian ranges in color from opaque black, to green, brown, mahogany, black with rainbow colors, black with snowflak...
View full detailsGreen Goldstone 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Green Goldstone is an opaque, almost black glass with flecks of copper suspended within it. These flecks glitter as they catch the light and appear...
View full detailsMexican Red Snowflake Jasper 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Mexican Red Snowflake Jasper is a naturally occurring Jasper with deep red, bright red, pink and golden mottling and spots within the primarily bla...
View full detailsRainbow Obsidian 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Rainbow Obsidian earned its name from the chatoyant, rainbow effect of light refracting off of the air buddles inside of the stone. Like all obsidi...
View full detailsPink Opal 4mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch
Pink Opal is a variety of non to precious opal, meaning that it has lustre and some translucency without the fire or color play associated with pre...
View full detailsGolden Obsidian 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Golden Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass, shiny black with a golden sheen. Obsidian is produced when lava erupts from a volcano and ...
View full detailsPink Opal 10mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch
Pink Opal is a variety of non to precious opal, meaning that it has lustre and some translucency without the fire or color play associated with pre...
View full detailsRainbow Obsidian 4mm 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 detailsGolden Obsidian 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Golden Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass, shiny black with a golden sheen. Obsidian is produced when lava erupts from a volcano and ...
View full detailsGolden Obsidian 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Golden Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass, shiny black with a golden sheen. Obsidian is produced when lava erupts from a volcano and ...
View full detailsPietersite 4mm 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 detailsPrehnite with Rutilate 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsPrehnite with Rutilate 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsPorcelain Jasper 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Porcelain Jasper is a brecciated (broken) Jasper originally found on a gold claim high in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico, where it continues ...
View full detailsPrehnite with Rutilate 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsRed Jasper 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Red Jasper is an aggregate of microcrystalline quartz and/or chalcedony and other minerals. The opaque stone’s red color is due to high iron conten...
View full detailsPolychrome Jasper 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Polychrome Jasper is considered one of the rarest Jaspers in the world. First discovered in 2006, it is exclusively sourced from a single small dep...
View full detailsRed Jasper 3mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Red Jasper is an aggregate of microcrystalline quartz and/or chalcedony and other minerals. The opaque stone’s red color is due to high iron conten...
View full detailsRed Jasper 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Red Jasper is an aggregate of microcrystalline quartz and/or chalcedony and other minerals. The opaque stone’s red color is due to high iron conten...
View full detailsRed Jasper 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Red Jasper is an aggregate of microcrystalline quartz and/or chalcedony and other minerals. The opaque stone’s red color is due to high iron conten...
View full detailsRuby Zoisite 3mm Round - 15-16 Inch
Ruby Zoisite occurs naturally when small Ruby crystals become embedded within Zoisite. The Ruby inclusions in this stone are pink to reddish purple...
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.