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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.

Iolite 6x8mm Triangle Cut Faceted Rice Bead - 15-16 Inch

Original price $37.00 - Original price $37.00
Original price $37.00
$37.00 - $37.00
Current price $37.00
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Iolite most commonly occurs in shades of blue to gray, violet or indigo. It displays a visual property called “pleochroism,” which means that it ca...

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Original price $37.00 - Original price $37.00
Original price $37.00
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Current price $37.00
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Lapis & Malachite 16mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $381.00 - Original price $381.00
Original price $381.00
$381.00 - $381.00
Current price $381.00
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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...

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Original price $381.00 - Original price $381.00
Original price $381.00
$381.00 - $381.00
Current price $381.00
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Rhodochrosite 3mm Cube Table Cut Bead - 15-16 Inch

Original price $33.00 - Original price $33.00
Original price $33.00
$33.00 - $33.00
Current price $33.00
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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 $33.00 - Original price $33.00
Original price $33.00
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Current price $33.00
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Red Garnet 6x8mm Triangle Cut Faceted Rice Bead - 15-16 Inch

Original price $34.00 - Original price $34.00
Original price $34.00
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Current price $34.00
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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...

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Current price $34.00
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Brazilian Amazonite 6x8mm Triangle Cut Faceted Rice Bead - 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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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 $31.00
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Turquoise 6x8-8x10mm Rough Nugget - 15-16 Inch

Original price $83.00 - Original price $83.00
Original price $83.00
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Current price $83.00
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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 $83.00 - Original price $83.00
Original price $83.00
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Current price $83.00
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Botswana Agate 6x8mm Triangle Cut Faceted Rice Bead - 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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Botswana Agate displays highly defined parallel banding, usually in white on hues of brown, gray, pink, tan, apricot and purplish red. Botswana Aga...

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Current price $31.00
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GoldStone 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $9.00 - Original price $9.00
Original price $9.00
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Current price $9.00
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Goldstone is a manmade material, consisting of opaque rust-red glass with tiny flecks of glittering copper suspended within it. Goldstone was first...

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Current price $9.00
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GoldStone 10mm Round - 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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Goldstone is a manmade material, consisting of opaque rust-red glass with tiny flecks of glittering copper suspended within it. Goldstone was first...

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Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
Original price $12.00
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Current price $12.00
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Crystal Quartz 6x8mm Triangle Cut Faceted Rice Bead - 15-16 Inch

Original price $27.00 - Original price $27.00
Original price $27.00
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Current price $27.00
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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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Current price $27.00
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Wampum Shell 4mm Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $38.00 - Original price $38.00
Original price $38.00
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Current price $38.00
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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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Current price $38.00
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Black Mother of Pearl 10mm Round Mosaic - 15-16 Inch

Original price $100.00 - Original price $100.00
Original price $100.00
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Current price $100.00
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Mother of Pearl, also known as Nacre, is an iridescent composite of organic and inorganic material most known for being the coating of pearls. It i...

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Australian Chrysoprase 14mm Round AA Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $292.00 - Original price $292.00
Original price $292.00
$292.00 - $292.00
Current price $292.00
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Chrysoprase is a bright apple green, translucent stone, whose color often caused ancient jewelers to confuse it with Emerald. A cryptocrystalline C...

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Original price $292.00 - Original price $292.00
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Current price $292.00
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Wampum Shell 6mm Rondelle - 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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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 $44.00 - Original price $44.00
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Current price $44.00
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Iron Zebra Jasper 13x22-18x 30mm Top Drill Flat Oval - 15-16 Inch

Original price $30.00 - Original price $30.00
Original price $30.00
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Current price $30.00
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Iron Zebra Jasper displays streaks or stripes of colors ranging from dark, rich browns and grays to lighter golden browns and creams. It has charac...

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Current price $30.00
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Tourmaline 6x10mm Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $84.00 - Original price $84.00
Original price $84.00
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Current price $84.00
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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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Current price $84.00
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Ocean Jasper 12mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $37.00 - Original price $37.00
Original price $37.00
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Current price $37.00
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Ocean Jasper is a commercial name for Orbicular Jasper, a variety of Jasper containing variably colored spherical patterns. It forms when Quartz an...

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Peruvian Rhodochrosite 16mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $35.00 - Original price $35.00
Original price $35.00
$35.00 - $35.00
Current price $35.00
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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 $35.00 - Original price $35.00
Original price $35.00
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Current price $35.00
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Dog Teeth Amethyst 8x11mm Faceted Nugget - 15-16 Inch

Original price $35.00 - Original price $35.00
Original price $35.00
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Current price $35.00
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Dog Teeth Amethyst has a purple and white striped appearance due to its combination of Amethyst and White Quartz. The name derives from the recurri...

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Current price $35.00
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Peruvian Rhodochrosite 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $7.00 - Original price $7.00
Original price $7.00
$7.00 - $7.00
Current price $7.00
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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 $7.00 - Original price $7.00
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Current price $7.00
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Elisa Turquoise 5-6mm Pebble - 15-16 Inch

Regular Price $79.00
Original price $79.00 - Original price $79.00
Original price $79.00
Sale Price $47.00
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This turquoise is mined from the Sonora mines in Mexico. Like all other natural turquoise, its coloring is the result of the chemical reaction that...

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Regular Price $79.00
Original price $79.00 - Original price $79.00
Original price $79.00
Sale Price $47.00
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Sale Sale

Mixed Sugilite 9mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $77.00 - Original price $77.00
Original price $77.00
$77.00 - $77.00
Current price $77.00
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Sugilite is a rare cyclosilicate that occurs in a range of vivid colors including deep purple, red to violet, magenta to purple, pink and pale lila...

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Original price $77.00 - Original price $77.00
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Tiger Eye 16mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $38.00 - Original price $38.00
Original price $38.00
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Current price $38.00
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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...

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Tiger Eye 4mm Round - 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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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...

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Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
Original price $12.00
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Current price $12.00
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Mixed Sugilite 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $89.00 - Original price $89.00
Original price $89.00
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Current price $89.00
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Sugilite is a rare cyclosilicate that occurs in a range of vivid colors including deep purple, red to violet, magenta to purple, pink and pale lila...

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Original price $89.00 - Original price $89.00
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Current price $89.00
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Tiger Eye 18mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $47.00 - Original price $47.00
Original price $47.00
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Current price $47.00
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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...

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Original price $47.00 - Original price $47.00
Original price $47.00
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Current price $47.00
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Lapis 6mm Cube A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $52.00 - Original price $52.00
Original price $52.00
$52.00 - $52.00
Current price $52.00
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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...

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Original price $52.00 - Original price $52.00
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Current price $52.00
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Purple Fluorite 8mm Round A Grade- 15-16 Inch

Original price $34.00 - Original price $34.00
Original price $34.00
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Current price $34.00
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Fluorite is a luminous, soft and glassy stone, sometimes referred to as “the most colorful mineral in the world.” It is one of the most sought to a...

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Original price $34.00 - Original price $34.00
Original price $34.00
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Current price $34.00
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Peruvian Turquoise (Chrysocolla) 10mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $61.00 - Original price $61.00
Original price $61.00
$61.00 - $61.00
Current price $61.00
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Peruvian Turquoise is also known as Turquoise Chrysocolla. It’s attractive blue-green provides a unique color to the mineral world. Peruvian Turquo...

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Original price $61.00 - Original price $61.00
Original price $61.00
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Current price $61.00
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Peruvian Turquoise (Chrysocolla) 8mm Round A 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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Peruvian Turquoise is also known as Turquoise Chrysocolla. It’s attractive blue-green provides a unique color to the mineral world. Peruvian Turquo...

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Original price $44.00 - Original price $44.00
Original price $44.00
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Current price $44.00
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Peruvian Chrysocolla 8mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $88.00 - Original price $88.00
Original price $88.00
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Current price $88.00
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Chrysocolla, a hydrous copper silicate, is often mistaken for turquoise due to its rich blues and blue to greens. It often also occurs with colors ...

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Purple Flower Fluorite 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $27.00 - Original price $27.00
Original price $27.00
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Current price $27.00
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Fluorite is a luminous, soft and glassy stone, sometimes referred to as “the most colorful mineral in the world.” It is one of the most sought to a...

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Original price $27.00 - Original price $27.00
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Current price $27.00
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Peruvian Turquoise (Chrysocolla) 6mm Round A Grade - 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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Peruvian Turquoise is also known as Turquoise Chrysocolla. It’s attractive blue-green provides a unique color to the mineral world. Peruvian Turquo...

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Original price $28.00 - Original price $28.00
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Current price $28.00
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Purple Fluorite 6mm Round A Grade- 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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Fluorite is a luminous, soft and glassy stone, sometimes referred to as “the most colorful mineral in the world.” It is one of the most sought to a...

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Original price $22.00 - Original price $22.00
Original price $22.00
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Current price $22.00
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Green and White Jade 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
Original price $12.00
$12.00 - $12.00
Current price $12.00
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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...

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Current price $12.00
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Orange Calcite 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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Calcite is a rock-forming mineral that is extremely common and found throughout the world in sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. Calcite i...

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Current price $36.00
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Arusha Sunstone 10mm Round - 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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Arusha Sunstone is a combination of Feldspar and Beryl.

Original price $32.00 - Original price $32.00
Original price $32.00
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Current price $32.00
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Madagascar Green Dendritic Opal 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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This variety of opal is named "dendritic" for the small inclusions within it that resemble moss or ferns. These inclusions consist of iron, mangane...

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Arusha Sunstone 8mm Round - 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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Arusha Sunstone is a combination of Feldspar and Beryl.

Original price $22.00 - Original price $22.00
Original price $22.00
$22.00 - $22.00
Current price $22.00
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Madagascar Green Dendritic Opal 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $20.00 - Original price $20.00
Original price $20.00
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This variety of opal is named "dendritic" for the small inclusions within it that resemble moss or ferns. These inclusions consist of iron, mangane...

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Original price $20.00 - Original price $20.00
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Madagascar Green Dendritic Opal 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $16.00 - Original price $16.00
Original price $16.00
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Current price $16.00
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This variety of opal is named "dendritic" for the small inclusions within it that resemble moss or ferns. These inclusions consist of iron, mangane...

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Original price $16.00 - Original price $16.00
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Current price $16.00
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Arusha Sunstone 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $16.00 - Original price $16.00
Original price $16.00
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Current price $16.00
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Arusha Sunstone is a combination of Feldspar and Beryl.

Original price $16.00 - Original price $16.00
Original price $16.00
$16.00 - $16.00
Current price $16.00
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Ruby 2x3mm Faceted Rondelle 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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Ruby is a precious gemstone known for its deep red color. It is a variety of the mineral corundum, the second-hardest mineral next to diamond . The...

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Ruby and Sapphire 8mm Faceted Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $80.00 - Original price $80.00
Original price $80.00
$80.00 - $80.00
Current price $80.00
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Ruby has long been considered one of the most beautiful and valuable gemstones on the planet. It is also one of the hardest, second only to Diamond...

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Original price $80.00 - Original price $80.00
Original price $80.00
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Current price $80.00
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Emerald 3x4mm Faceted Rondelle AAA Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $116.00 - Original price $116.00
Original price $116.00
$116.00 - $116.00
Current price $116.00
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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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Original price $116.00 - Original price $116.00
Original price $116.00
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Current price $116.00
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Ruby 3x4mm Faceted Rondelle A 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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Ruby is a precious gemstone known for its deep red color. It is a variety of the mineral corundum, the second-hardest mineral next to diamond . The...

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Original price $36.00 - Original price $36.00
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Current price $36.00
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Emerald 2x3mm Faceted Rondelle A Grade - 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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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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Original price $28.00 - Original price $28.00
Original price $28.00
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Current price $28.00
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Emerald 2mm Table Cut Cube Bead - 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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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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Original price $28.00 - Original price $28.00
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Current price $28.00
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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.