Carnelian Beads

Frequently asked questions

• Is carnelian heat treated?

  Most carnelian in the bead trade is heat-treated, and the treatment is industry standard for the stone: gentle heating deepens the iron-oxide color already in the rough, taking pale material to the saturated orange-red the name is known for. The color is permanent and does not fade with wear, and the stone's hardness is unchanged. Natural, unheated carnelian is also sold and shows more variation in tone within a strand. Treatment is labelled where known.
• Is carnelian dyed, and how can I tell?

  Some material sold as carnelian is dyed chalcedony or dyed agate brought to the orange-red register — a different thing from heat-treated carnelian, which is still carnelian colored by its own iron oxide. Dye tends to show as color pooled at the drill hole and in surface fractures, and as a flat, even orange across every bead with none of the translucent depth or bead-to-bead shading of the natural stone. Neither cue is conclusive, so dyed strands are labelled where known; ask before buying if a strand doesn't specify.
• What color is carnelian?

  Carnelian runs from pale peach and orange through saturated orange-red to a deep, translucent red; the darker brown-red end of the same chalcedony is called sard, and the trade draws no sharp line between the two. The color comes from iron oxide, and a single strand often shades across part of the range. Heating pushes pale material toward the red end, which is why most commercial carnelian sits in the orange-red middle.
• What stones pair with carnelian?

  Lapis lazuli first — deep blue against carnelian's orange is one of the oldest pairings in jewelry, strung together in the Royal Cemetery at Ur around 2600 BC. Turquoise gives the same warm-cool contrast in a softer key; tiger eye, amazonite and hematite keep a piece in the earth register; black obsidian or onyx makes the orange read brightest. Warm metals — brass, copper, yellow gold — suit it.
• What sizes and cuts do carnelian beads come in?

  Rounds carry the range — 4mm and 6mm everyday sizes, 8mm as the mala and bracelet standard, 10mm and 12mm statement rounds — smooth, faceted, star-cut or matte, with 2mm and 3mm faceted accents. Beyond rounds: faceted rondelles from 3mm to 8mm, microfaceted bicones, hexagons, 2x4mm and 8x12mm tubes, faceted rice beads, coins from 4mm flat coins to 15mm pointed coins, heishi, chips, graduated nuggets, hearts, leaves and flowers, and carved focals. Large-hole rounds run 6mm to 10mm, and cabochons in coin, square, oval and rectangle cover the setting end.