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
Green Kyanite 5x10-20mm Top Drill Teeth - 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 detailsRhodochrosite 5x10-20mm Top Drill Teeth - 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 detailsAmetrine 5x10-20mm Top Drill Teeth - 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 detailsAquamarine 5x10-20mm Top Drill Teeth - 15-16 Inch
Aquamarine is a transparent to translucent stone ranging from cerulean blue to light blue in higher grades. In lower grades it can be transparent t...
View full detailsPink Opal 5x10-20mm Top Drill Teeth - 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 detailsAustralian Chrysoprase 5x10-20mm Top Drill Teeth - 15-16 Inch
Chrysoprase is a bright apple green, translucent stone, whose color often caused ancient jewelers to confuse it with Emerald. A cryptocrystalline C...
View full detailsSeraphinite 5x10-20mm Top Drill Teeth - 15-16 Inch
Seraphinite's chatoyancy (optical reflectance) gives it a feathery appearance associated with angels (also known as seraphim.) Seraphinite is most ...
View full detailsKunzite 5x10-20mm Top Drill Teeth - 15-16 Inch
Kunzite was named after a former Tiffany & Co. vice president, famed mineralogist and jeweler George Frederick Kunz, who first catalogued the s...
View full detailsBlue Lace Agate 5x10-20mm Top Drill Teeth - 15-16 Inch
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 detailsBlue Kyanite 5x10-20mm Top Drill Teeth - 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 detailsTourmaline 5x10-20mm Top Drill Teeth - 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 detailsMalachite 5x10-20mm Top Drill Teeth - 15-16 Inch
Malachite is a copper carbonate with a bright green color and dark green banding. Usually found near copper deposits, it is formed through the comb...
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 detailsHematite Coated 6-12mm Chips - 15-16 Inch
Hematite is an iron oxide and one of the few gemstones with a metallic luster. When tumbled it can have the look of polished steel. Hematite is bla...
View full details3X10-20mm Rhodochrosite Natural Chips TD AA Grade - 15-16 Inch - CLEARANCE
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 detailsDiamond 2-4mm Chip Black- 15-16 Inch
Diamond is a rare, naturally occurring mineral composed of pure carbon. Although most people think of diamonds as colorless, they actually occur i...
View full detailsAmber 4-22mm Dark Chip - 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 detailsNew Burma Jade 5x8mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
New Burma Jade is the trade name for a semi-translucent serpentine stone available in a variety of green shades including olive, sea green, green, ...
View full detailsAquamarine 5x8mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
Aquamarine is a transparent to translucent stone ranging from cerulean blue to light blue in higher grades. In lower grades it can be transparent t...
View full detailsAmber Knotted 2x4-6x8mm Chip - 26-27 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 detailsMATTE Dog Teeth Amethyst 5x15 Flat Chip 8-Inch - CLEARANCE
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 detailsFossil Coral 5x15mm Center Drill Flat Chip 8-Inch - CLEARANCE
Fossil Coral is the prehistoric fossilized remains of the invertebrate reef builders that live in tropical oceans. Silica-rich waters create harden...
View full detailsWhite Howlite 5x15mm Flat Chip 8-Inch - CLEARANCE
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 detailsKambaba 5x15mm Center Drill Flat Chip 8-Inch - CLEARANCE
Kambaba Jasper is a sedimentary stone comprised of microcrystalline Quartz interlaced with Stromatolites — ancient fossilized colonies of primeval ...
View full detailsAustralian Chrysoprase 4x10mm Chip - 15-16 Inch
Chrysoprase is a bright apple green, translucent stone, whose color often caused ancient jewelers to confuse it with Emerald. A cryptocrystalline C...
View full detailsMexican Fire Opal 2x6-5x10mm Rough Chips 15-16 Inch - CLEARANCE
Fire Opal is a transparent or translucent stone named for the vivid red, orange and yellow colors in which it occurs. The most precious Fire Opal h...
View full detailsRed Garnet 5x8mm Chips - 15-16 Inch
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 detailsLabradorite 5x8mm Chips - 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 detailsLapis 5-14mm Graduated Chip Bead - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsAbalone Shell 5-10 Chip Bead - 15-16 Inch
Abalone Shell is strong and is made of stacked calcium carbonate tiles. When the abalone shell is struck, the tiles slide instead of shattering abs...
View full detailsSleeping Beauty Turquoise 7-11mm Blue Chip Bead - 15-16 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 Turquouise 4-6mm Blue Chip Bead - 15-16 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 detailsWhite Buffalo 6-8mm Chip Bead - 15-16 Inch
White Buffalo stone is a rare, white mineral predominantly composed of magnesite and quartz. Discovered in 1993, the only source for White Buffalo ...
View full detailsAbout this cut
Frequently asked questions
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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.