Double Drilled Beads

Frequently asked questions

• What is a double drilled bead?

  A double drilled bead has two parallel holes running through it instead of one, letting two strands of stringing material pass through the same bead. The holes are typically drilled along the long axis of a flat or shaped bead — often a rectangle, oval, or freeform slab — so the bead sits flat between two rows of beads. This geometry is what makes multi-strand bracelets, cuffs, and ladder-style designs hold their shape: the second hole acts as a built-in spacer bar, keeping the rows parallel without needing separate findings.
• What sizes does Dakota stock in double drilled?

  Double drilled is a shaped-bead format rather than a calibrated round, so sizes are listed as length × width ranges. Current stock includes 10x20mm flat ovals and several graduated freeform runs in the 7x10–9x15mm, 9x11–13x18mm, 9x12–13x19mm, 9x11–13x20mm, and 10x14–12x18mm ranges. Because most double drilled strands are cut from slab material, exact dimensions vary bead-to-bead within a strand — the size range describes the smallest and largest beads you should expect. Hole spacing should be disclosed; ask before buying if it isn't specified.
• What stones come in double drilled?

  Dakota's current double drilled assortment runs about 26 active SKUs and skews toward patterned and landscape stones that show well in flat slab form. Jasper leads the cut with seven products, followed by impression jasper at five, then agate, moonstone, crazy lace agate, labradorite, quartz, howlite, rose quartz, and chalcedony. The cut favors stones with surface interest — banding, dendrites, flash, or matrix — because the flat face gives the pattern room to read. Treatment varies by stone; check the individual listing for dye, stabilization, or reconstitution notes.
• What jewelry does double drilled work best for?

  Double drilled beads are the structural element in two-strand and multi-strand bracelets and cuffs, where the parallel holes lock the rows into a flat band. They also work as focal stations in ladder necklaces, as connector beads between memory wire coils, and in beaded bezel or peyote-style cuffs that need rigid spacers. Designers using leather or thicker cord often pair one double drilled focal with smaller rounds between, building a flat-lying piece that reads as woven without the bead-weaving labor. They're less useful for single-strand stretch bracelets.
• How is hole spacing measured and why does it matter?

  Hole spacing is the center-to-center distance between the two drill holes, and it dictates the row spacing of your finished piece. If you string a double drilled bead with 6mm hole spacing onto two strands of 4mm rounds, the rounds will pinch toward each other between focals; if the spacing is wider than your spacer beads, the strands will bow out. Match hole spacing to the diameter of the beads you'll string between the double drilled stations — or use spacer bars sized to the same gap. Hole spacing should be listed; ask before buying if it isn't.