Skip to content

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.

Pietersite 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
Original price $14.00
$14.00 - $14.00
Current price $14.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
Original price $14.00
$14.00 - $14.00
Current price $14.00
Login for wholesale

Pink Tourmaline with Lepidolite 4mm Microfaceted Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
Original price $14.00
$14.00 - $14.00
Current price $14.00
Login for wholesale

Pink Tourmaline ranges in color from light pink to deep magenta, with inclusions of white to colorless translucent or transparent. Tourmaline occur...

View full details
Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
Original price $14.00
$14.00 - $14.00
Current price $14.00
Login for wholesale

Peach and Black Moonstone 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Morocco Red Agate 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Regular Price $11.00
Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
Original price $11.00
Sale Price $8.00
Login for wholesale
$8.00 - $8.00
Current price $8.00
Login for wholesale

Morocco Agate occurs in striking colors of red, white, golden tan, gray and purple, in a variety of swirling and linear patterns. Like other Agates...

View full details
Regular Price $11.00
Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
Original price $11.00
Sale Price $8.00
Login for wholesale
$8.00 - $8.00
Current price $8.00
Login for wholesale
Sale Sale

Labradorite 4mm Microfaceted Round AAA Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $15.00 - Original price $15.00
Original price $15.00
$15.00 - $15.00
Current price $15.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $15.00 - Original price $15.00
Original price $15.00
$15.00 - $15.00
Current price $15.00
Login for wholesale

Gold Rutilated Quartz 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
Original price $14.00
$14.00 - $14.00
Current price $14.00
Login for wholesale

Rutilated Quartz is a silicon dioxide mineral with unique needle to like inclusions of Rutile. These “needles” usually appear golden, but can also ...

View full details
Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
Original price $14.00
$14.00 - $14.00
Current price $14.00
Login for wholesale

Goldstone 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
Original price $10.00
$10.00 - $10.00
Current price $10.00
Login for wholesale

Goldstone is a manmade material, consisting of opaque rust to red glass with tiny flecks of glittering copper suspended within it. Goldstone was fi...

View full details
Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
Original price $10.00
$10.00 - $10.00
Current price $10.00
Login for wholesale

Green Garnet 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Green Garnet can be among the most valuable of garnets, which come in a variety of colors. Occurring in sizes ranging from a grain of sand to the s...

View full details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Green Goldstone 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
Original price $10.00
$10.00 - $10.00
Current price $10.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
Original price $10.00
$10.00 - $10.00
Current price $10.00
Login for wholesale

Chrysocolla 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $22.00 - Original price $22.00
Original price $22.00
$22.00 - $22.00
Current price $22.00
Login for wholesale

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 ...

View full details
Original price $22.00 - Original price $22.00
Original price $22.00
$22.00 - $22.00
Current price $22.00
Login for wholesale

Australian Chrysoprase 4mm Microfaceted Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $20.00 - Original price $20.00
Original price $20.00
$20.00 - $20.00
Current price $20.00
Login for wholesale

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

View full details
Original price $20.00 - Original price $20.00
Original price $20.00
$20.00 - $20.00
Current price $20.00
Login for wholesale

Australian Chrysoprase with Brown 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
Original price $14.00
$14.00 - $14.00
Current price $14.00
Login for wholesale

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

View full details
Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
Original price $14.00
$14.00 - $14.00
Current price $14.00
Login for wholesale

Blue Topaz 4mm Microfaceted Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Topaz is a rare silicate mineral and obtains much of its popularity from its beautiful colors and its status as a birthstone. Topaz occurs in a wi...

View full details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Blue Goldstone 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
Original price $10.00
$10.00 - $10.00
Current price $10.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
Original price $10.00
$10.00 - $10.00
Current price $10.00
Login for wholesale

Dark Blue Sapphire 4mm Microfaceted Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $37.00 - Original price $37.00
Original price $37.00
$37.00 - $37.00
Current price $37.00
Login for wholesale

Metaphysically, all sapphires are considered stones of wisdom, however different colors have additional attributes such as enhanced emotional resil...

View full details
Original price $37.00 - Original price $37.00
Original price $37.00
$37.00 - $37.00
Current price $37.00
Login for wholesale

Black Rutilated Quartz 4mm Micofaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
Original price $12.00
$12.00 - $12.00
Current price $12.00
Login for wholesale

Rutilated Quartz is a silicon dioxide mineral with unique needle-like inclusions of Rutile. These “needles” usually appear golden, but can also app...

View full details
Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
Original price $12.00
$12.00 - $12.00
Current price $12.00
Login for wholesale

Silver Obsidian 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
Original price $10.00
$10.00 - $10.00
Current price $10.00
Login for wholesale

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
Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
Original price $10.00
$10.00 - $10.00
Current price $10.00
Login for wholesale

Blue Tourmaline 4mm Microfaceted Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $33.00 - Original price $33.00
Original price $33.00
$33.00 - $33.00
Current price $33.00
Login for wholesale

Blue Tourmaline ranges in color from green to blue to yellow to green with black, milky white and clear, colorless inclusions. It is an aluminum bo...

View full details
Original price $33.00 - Original price $33.00
Original price $33.00
$33.00 - $33.00
Current price $33.00
Login for wholesale

Blue Opal 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $24.00 - Original price $24.00
Original price $24.00
$24.00 - $24.00
Current price $24.00
Login for wholesale

Blue Peruvian Opal naturally occurs with swirling patterns of deep blues, blue to greens and greens swirled with yellow to green, rust, brown and o...

View full details
Original price $24.00 - Original price $24.00
Original price $24.00
$24.00 - $24.00
Current price $24.00
Login for wholesale

Light Amethyst 4mm Microfaceted Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $16.00 - Original price $16.00
Original price $16.00
$16.00 - $16.00
Current price $16.00
Login for wholesale

Amethyst is a beautiful purple stone, known as a “Gem of Fire” by ancient cultures. It has been greatly sought after throughout history and was at ...

View full details
Original price $16.00 - Original price $16.00
Original price $16.00
$16.00 - $16.00
Current price $16.00
Login for wholesale

African Turquoise 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
Login for wholesale

African Turquoise is not actually Turquoise, but rather a speckled teal Jasper found in Africa and often treated to simulate the beautiful blue to ...

View full details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Blue Lace Agate 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Blue Lace Agate is a naturally occuring soft blue agate, laced with bands or swirls of brighter blue, periwinkle, white and occasionally gray or br...

View full details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Unakite 1x2mm Square Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Unakite is a granite composed of pink Feldspar and Epidote, creating a beautiful blend of pink and green in mottled patterns. The colors in this st...

View full details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Tiger Eye 1x2mm 1x2mm Square Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Strawberry Quartz 1x2mm Square Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Strawberry Quartz is a translucent, milky to pink silicon dioxide mineral. Its needle to like inclusions of hematite are iridescent red. Quartz has...

View full details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Green Aventurine 1x2mm Square Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Green Aventurine is a green translucent quartz with glimmering metallic inclusions. Green is the most common color for Aventurine, but it can also ...

View full details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Snowflake Sodalite 1x2mm Square Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Crystal Quartz 1x2mm Square Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Crystal Quartz is a naturally occurring clear and colorless Quartz. It is a crystalline form of Quartz said to have many divine properties includin...

View full details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Ruby Zoisite 1x2mm Square Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Purple Fluorite 1x2mm Square Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

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...

View full details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Goldstone 1x2mm Square Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Goldstone is a manmade material, consisting of opaque rust to red glass with tiny flecks of glittering copper suspended within it. Goldstone was fi...

View full details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Labradorite 1x2mm Square Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Blue Goldstone 1x2mm Square Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Dog Teeth Amethyst 1x2mm Square Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

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...

View full details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

African Turquoise 1x2mm Square Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

African Turquoise is not actually Turquoise, but rather a speckled teal Jasper found in Africa and often treated to simulate the beautiful blue to ...

View full details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Brazilian Amazonite 1x2mm Square Rondelle - 15-16 Inch

Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $13.00 - Original price $13.00
Original price $13.00
$13.00 - $13.00
Current price $13.00
Login for wholesale

Crazy Lace Agate 8mm Cross - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Crazy Lace Agate is a banded Chalcedony that naturally occurs as golden brown with layers of pink, red and gray in swirling circular patterns. It h...

View full details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Yellow Jade 8mm Cross - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Yellow Jade is not actually Jade, but a form of natural Serpentine which is commonly referred to as Yellow Jade in the stone industry. This semi to...

View full details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

White Lace Red Jasper 8mm Cross - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

White Lace Red Jasper is a deep red or burnt orange stone, complemented by white, gray, and black bands and flecks of color. Red Jasper has histori...

View full details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

White Howlite 8mm Cross - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

White Howlite is named for Canadian mineralogist Henry How, who first discovered the stone in Southern California in 1868. It is typically white or...

View full details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Tiger Eye 8mm Cross - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Rose Quartz 8mm Cross - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Rhodonite 8mm Cross - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Rhodonite, whose name is derived from the Greek word for Rose, “rhodon,” is known for its pink, red and magenta hues. A Manganese inosilicate (or c...

View full details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Brazilian Amazonite 8mm Cross - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Green Aventurine 8mm Cross - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Green Aventurine is a green translucent quartz with glimmering metallic inclusions. Green is the most common color for Aventurine, but it can also ...

View full details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Blue Aventurine 8mm Cross - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

0

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Dog Teeth Amethyst 8mm Cross - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

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...

View full details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
$18.00 - $18.00
Current price $18.00
Login for wholesale

Red Garnet 7x8mm Faceted Swirl Oval - 15-16 Inch

Original price $27.00 - Original price $27.00
Original price $27.00
$27.00 - $27.00
Current price $27.00
Login for wholesale

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 details
Original price $27.00 - Original price $27.00
Original price $27.00
$27.00 - $27.00
Current price $27.00
Login for wholesale

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.