Gemstone Chip Beads
Chips are made from premium off-cuts when cutting cabochons and other shapes. It is a great way to incorporate high quality stones with minimal investment. They are simply tumbled, minimally processed, and left with their organic shapes.
Products: 93
Copper Rutilated Quartz 5x8mm Chip with Spacers - 15-16 Inch
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 detailsAmazonite 3x9-5x11mm Chip - 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 detailsOcean Jasper 5-12mm Chip - 36-Inch
Ocean Jasper is a commercial name for Orbicular Jasper, a variety of Jasper containing variably colored spherical patterns. It forms when Quartz an...
View full detailsPurple Puka Shell 6-7mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
Puka shells are naturally broken, ocean-tumbled fragments of cone snail shells, featuring a naturally occurring center hole ("puka" in Hawaiian). O...
View full detailsBanded Mixed Stone 6-9mm Chip - Citrine/Crystal/Strawberry Quartz - 15-16 Inch
(Description will vary by inventory.)
Ethiopian Opal 3x5mm (Dyed) Blue Chip - 17 Inch
Ethiopian Opal was first discovered in Ethiopia in 1994, with additional major finds in 2008 and 2013. Beautiful specimens of Precious Opal, Fire O...
View full detailsEthiopian Opal 3x5mm (Dyed) Hot Pink Chip - 17 Inch
Ethiopian Opal was first discovered in Ethiopia in 1994, with additional major finds in 2008 and 2013. Beautiful specimens of Precious Opal, Fire O...
View full detailsBanded Mixed Stone 6-9mm Chip - Eagle Eye/Red and Yellow Tiger Eye - 15-16 Inch
This strand of banded chips features Eagle Eye Stone, Red Tiger Eye, and Yellow Tiger Eye.
Spiny Oyster 5-8mm Free Form Chips Orange - 15-16 Inch
Purple Puka Shell 10-12mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
Puka shells are naturally broken, ocean-tumbled fragments of cone snail shells, featuring a naturally occurring center hole ("puka" in Hawaiian). O...
View full detailsMulti Rutilated Quartz 5x8mm Chip with Spacers - 15-16 Inch
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 detailsBanded Mixed Stone 6-9mm Chip - Aquamarine & Crystal - 15-16 Inch
(Description will vary by inventory.)
Purple Puka Shell 4-5mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
Puka shells are naturally broken, ocean-tumbled fragments of cone snail shells, featuring a naturally occurring center hole ("puka" in Hawaiian). O...
View full detailsBanded Mixed Stone 6-9mm Chip - Citrine/Green & Red Lodalited Quartz - 15-16 Inch
(Description will vary by inventory.)
Sapphire 6-10mm Irregular Chip - 8 Inch
Metaphysically, all sapphires are considered stones of wisdom, however different colors have additional attributes such as enhanced emotional resil...
View full detailsNew Jade 5x15mm Chip - 8-Inch Strands
Jade is the industry name for this beautiful green stone. Ours is actually a Serpentine, but takes a trained eye and a microscope to discern the di...
View full detailsIce Obsidian 5x15mm Chip - 8-Inch
Ice Obsidian is a light brown to green to gray volcanic stone. Obsidian is formed when felsic lava cools without crystal growth. It is sometimes us...
View full detailsSleeping Beauty 10mm Blue/Green Chip - 17-18 Inch
Dakota Stones’ Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is from the Sleeping Beauty mine in Globe, Arizona — famous for the outstanding robin’s egg blue color and...
View full detailsSleeping Beauty 8-11mm Chip - 17-18 Inch
Dakota Stones’ Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is from the Sleeping Beauty mine in Globe, Arizona — famous for the outstanding robin’s egg blue color and...
View full detailsHubei Turquoise 10-14mm Blue Top Drill Chip - 15-16 Inch
Hubei Turquoise is sourced from Hubei Province in Northern China, one of the most recognized turquoise-producing regions in the world. This materia...
View full detailsHubei Turquoise 10-14mm Blue/Green Top Drill Chip - 15-16 Inch
Hubei Turquoise is sourced from Hubei Province in Northern China, one of the most recognized turquoise-producing regions in the world. This materia...
View full detailsHubei Turquoise 6mm Blue Chip - 15-16 Inch
Hubei Turquoise is sourced from Hubei Province in Northern China, one of the most recognized turquoise-producing regions in the world. This materia...
View full detailsHubei Turquoise 9-10mm Chip - 32-33 Inch
Hubei Turquoise is sourced from Hubei Province in Northern China, one of the most recognized turquoise-producing regions in the world. This materia...
View full detailsLight Sunset Dumortierite 5x10-7x16mm Chip - 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 detailsPink Opal 3x6-5x7mm Chip - 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 detailsSodalite 6x8-12mm Chip - 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 detailsAmetrine 3x7-6x12mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
Ametrine is quartz that occurs in bands of purple and yellow. As the name suggests, it is a combination of Amethyst and Citrine. The different colo...
View full detailsTourmaline 4-6mm Banded Chip A Grade - 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 detailsTourmaline 3-5mm Banded Chip A Grade - 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 detailsBanded Mixed Stone 6-9mm Chips - Amethyst and Rose Quartz - 15-16 Inch
This banded strand of chips features Amethyst, Rose Quartz, and Purple Rose Quartz.
Black Sunstone 5x8mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
Sunstone, a variety of Feldspar, is aptly named for its shades of gold, orange, red and brown, as well as its iridescent sparkle. As the stone catc...
View full detailsBlue Kyanite 5x8m Chip - 15-16 Inch
Kyanite often occurs as long, bladed, striated crystals, transparent or translucent with a pearly luster. An aluminum silicate mineral, it may appe...
View full detailsSleeping Beauty Turquoise 3mm Chip 18 Inch - Limited Editions
Dakota Stones’ Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is from the Sleeping Beauty mine in Globe, Arizona — famous for the outstanding robin’s egg blue color and...
View full detailsMexican Fire Opal Dark 2-10mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
[Use Fire Opal description? This Fire Opal contains both Opal and the rhyolitic host material in which it is formed, which provides sufficient hard...
View full detailsLabradorite 4x10-13mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
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 detailsCanadian Jade 5x8mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
Canadian Jade is the trade name for this stone that ranges in color from light to dark green, with small, dark specks or veins. This material is ac...
View full detailsRhodochrosite 5x8mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
Rhodochrosite is a bubblegum pink to rose red stone, with occasional inclusions of creamy white and dark grey. A manganese carbonate material of th...
View full detailsBlack Rutilated Quartz 5x8mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
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 detailsBlue Moonstone 5x8mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
Moonstone naturally occurs in a broad spectrum of colors, but is most commonly associated with white, gray and peach. It's soft chatoyancy is remin...
View full detailsLarimar 5x8mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
Larimar is a translucent blue, turquoise and white stone that can have streaks and patterns of white, as well as red or brown either from oxidation...
View full detailsGolden Sunstone 5x8mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
Sunstone, a variety of Feldspar, is aptly named for its shades of gold, orange, red and brown, as well as its iridescent sparkle. As the stone catc...
View full detailsSunstone 6mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
Sunstone, a variety of Feldspar, is aptly named for its shades of gold, orange, red and brown, as well as its iridescent sparkle. As the stone catc...
View full detailsKingman Turquoise 8-15mm Chip Blue 16 Inch- Limited Editions
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...
View full detailsKingman Turquoise 10-18mm Chip Blue 9-10 Inch Strands-Limited Editions
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...
View full detailsKingman Turquoise 15-22mm Chip Green 9-10 Inch Strands- Limited Editions
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...
View full detailsKingman Turquoise 15-20mm Chip Blue 9-10 Inch Strands- Limited Editions
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...
View full detailsAustralian Opal 3-8mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
Dakota Stones Australian Opals are back. We have been working with a father/ son team out of Australia for many years that assist us to bring you s...
View full detailsAmber 4X6-6X10mm Chip Faceted Golden/Yellow - 15-16 Inch
Amber is a yellow, brown or orange organic gem, neither a crystal nor a mineral. It is a product of nature, the fossilized resin of prehistoric pin...
View full detailsAbout this cut
Frequently asked questions
-
What is a chip bead?
A chip bead is an irregular, freeform gemstone bead — drilled rough or tumble-polished fragments rather than calibrated geometry. Each bead varies in size, profile, and surface, so a strand reads as a natural, organic texture rather than a uniform shape. Most chips are tumble-polished to a smooth, rounded finish, though edges and proportions still differ bead to bead. Drilling is typically through the longest axis, but hole placement varies. Because chips are cut from offcut material and small rough, they're an efficient way to work a stone into a design without paying for calibrated bead yield. -
What sizes does Dakota stock in chips?
Chip sizing is approximate by nature — the tag describes a working range rather than a calibrated measurement. Dakota's chip strands cluster around 8mm (the deepest size pool), with strong stock at 5mm, 6mm, 7mm, and 9mm. Larger irregular ranges like 5x10–20mm and 6–9mm are stocked for designs that want more variation between beads. Bead-to-bead variance within a single strand is expected and is part of how chip strands look. Exact size range, drill, and approximate bead count should be disclosed — ask before buying if it isn't specified. -
What stones come in chip form?
Dakota carries chips in roughly 185 active SKUs. Turquoise is by far the deepest pool at 42 strands, followed by opal (13), quartz (10), mixed-gemstone strands (10), tourmaline (7), Australian opal (6), amazonite (6), kyanite (6), jasper (5), and amethyst (5). Chips are common in stones where calibrated bead yield is low or where the rough is too included or too small for round work — which is why tourmaline, kyanite, and opal show up here. Treatment varies by stone and should be disclosed. -
What jewelry uses chip beads best?
Chips are a workhorse for stretch bracelets, multi-strand necklaces, fringe, tassels, and memory-wire pieces where organic texture matters more than precise repetition. They layer well under or between calibrated rounds and rondelles, adding visual movement without dominating a design. Mixed-gemstone chip strands work for color-story pieces and beach/boho lines. Chips also weave well into bead embroidery and kumihimo, and because beads vary in size, you can hand-pick larger or smaller pieces from a strand for focal placement. -
How are chip strands drilled and strung?
Drill orientation on chip beads is not uniform — holes are typically placed through the longest stable axis of each fragment, but the angle varies bead to bead. That means chips do not sit predictably on a stringing wire the way calibrated beads do, which is part of their visual character. Hole size also varies within a strand. For stretch cord.7mm or 1mm elastic is usually safe; for beading wire.014–.019 covers most strands. If a project needs consistent hole size, ask before buying.