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Teardrop Gemstone Beads

Dakota Stones' teardrop gemstone beads are a versatile and timeless choice for designers looking to create pieces that flow with natural movement and grace. You'll find quality, consistency, and character in every strand. This collection includes a wide variety of drop-shaped beads—including classic teardrops, briolettes, pear shapes, Indian hand cut heart drops, and smooth drops—suitable for any designs.

Each bead is cut and polished by skilled lapidary artists in India, or finished by gemstone artisans in China, using time-honored techniques that enhance the color, clarity, and shape of every stone.

In metaphysical jewelry, drops are believed to represent letting go and renewal — like a teardrop falling and clearing the way.

Products: 104

Lepidolite 9x13-12x16mm Top Drill Irregular Flat Drop - 15-16 Inch

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A particularly soft stone, Lepidolite has a glassy or lustrous sheen. It is the most abundant lithium-bearing mineral as well as a significant sour...

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Lapis 9x13-12x16mm Top Drill Irregular Flat Drop - 15-16 Inch

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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...

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Chrysocolla Azurite Quartz 9x13-12x16mm Top Drill Irregular Flat Drop - 15-16 Inch

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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 ...

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Black Tourmaline 9x13-12x16mm Top Drill Irregular Flat Drop - 15-16 Inch

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Black Tourmaline is a black crystalline aluminum borosilicate mineral with occasional light gray inclusions that appear as flecks or veins. Tourmal...

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African Turquoise 9x13-12x16mm Top Drill Irregular Flat Drop - 15-16 Inch

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

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Amethyst 9x13-12x16mm Top Drill Irregular Flat Drop - 15-16 Inch

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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 ...

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Blue Apatite 9x13-12x16mm Top Drill Irregular Flat Drop - 15-16 Inch

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Blue Apatite ranges in color from light teal to blue to bright blue to dark blue to green. It can be easily confused with other minerals due to its...

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Pink Tourmaline 6x12-10x20mm Free Form Dancing Drops A Grade - 15-16 Inch

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

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Beryl (Morganite) 6x12-10x20mm Pear Free Form Dancing Drops A Grade - 15-16 Inch

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A relatively rare silicate mineral found in igneous and metamorphic rocks around the world, Beryl is generally clear, while its variations in color...

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Lapis 6x12-10x20mm Free Form Dancing Drops A Grade - 15-16 Inch

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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...

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Labradorite 6x12-10x20mm Free Form Dancing Drops A Grade - 15-16 Inch

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Labradorite is remarkable for the way its aggregate layers refract light, creating iridescent flashes of blue, gold, pale green or copper red. This...

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Blue Lace Agate 6x12-10x20mm Free Form Dancing Drops A Grade - 15-16 Inch

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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...

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Citrine 6x12-10x20mm Free Form Dancing Drops AA Grade - 15-16 Inch

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Citrine is a transparent Quartz, ranging in color from pale yellow to golden yellow, honey or brown, giving it a similar appearance to Topaz. It ma...

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Yellow Opal 6x12-10x20mm Free Form Dancing Drops A Grade - 15-16 Inch

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Yellow Opal is transparent to opaque, milky white to pale yellow in color. It sometimes features dark brown to black dendritic inclusions that bran...

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Prehnite 6x12-10x20mm Free Form Dancing Drops A Grade - 15-16 Inch

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Prehnite was the first mineral to be named after a person: its discoverer, Dutch Colonel Hendrik Von Prehn. Von Prehn discovered the stone in South...

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Strawberry Quartz 6x12-10x20mm Free Form Dancing Drops A Grade - 15-16 Inch

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

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Lavender Amethyst 6x12-10x20mm Free Form Dancing Drops A Grade - 15-16 Inch

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Lavender Amethyst is a transparent lavender variety of Amethyst, which forms in geodes and is generally found in clusters of crystal points. The pr...

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Peruvian Amazonite 6x12-10x20mm Free Form Dancing Drops A Grade - 15-16 Inch

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Peruvian Amazonite is an opaque stone occurring in colors from a bright turquoise blue to pale turquoise to pale yellow to green, with swirling inc...

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White & Clear Sapphire 3x4-5x4mm Top Drill Faceted Drop - 15-16 Inch

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Sapphires are precious gemstones, but unlike rubies, they come in a rainbow of colors besides red! They are all varieties of the mineral corundum,...

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Rose Quartz 15x25mm Faceted Pear Pendant with .925 Sterling Silver Bail

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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...

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32mm Turquoise, Coral, and MOP Mosaic Drop Pendant Pair

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Each pendant pair will vary slightly from what is pictured.

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32mm Turquoise, MOP, and Coral Mosaic Drop Pendant Pair

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Each pendant pair will vary slightly from what is pictured.

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32mm Jet, MOP, and Turquoise Mosaic Drop Pendant Pair

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Each pendant pair will vary slightly from what is pictured.

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Labradorite 10x13mm Irregular Tear Drop - 15-16 Inch

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Labradorite is remarkable for the way its aggregate layers refract light, creating iridescent flashes of blue, gold, pale green or copper red. This...

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Sunstone 13x15mm Faceted Top Drilled Irregular Tear Drop - 15-16 Inch

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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...

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Lapis 13x15mm Faceted Top Drilled Irregular Tear Drop - 15-16 Inch

Original price $32.00 - Original price $32.00
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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...

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Original price $32.00 - Original price $32.00
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Rose Quartz 13x15mm Faceted Top Drilled Irregular Tear Drop - 15-16 Inch

Original price $28.00 - Original price $28.00
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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...

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Black Obsidian 13x15mm Faceted Top Drilled Irregular Tear Drop - 15-16 Inch

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Black Spinel 9x13mm Twisted Drop - 8 Inch

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Spinel is a hard vitreous magnesium aluminum oxide, and comes in a range of other colors, but those varieties are transparent. Black Spinel not onl...

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Rose Quartz 9mm Faceted Square Drops - 9 Inch

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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...

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Light Yellow Ethiopian Opal 3x5-7x10mm Graduated Faceted Drop - 15-16 Inch

Original price $208.00 - Original price $208.00
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Ethiopian Opal was first discovered in Ethiopia in 1994, with additional major finds in 2008 and 2013. Beautiful specimens of Precious Opal, Fire O...

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Cubic Zirconia (CZ) 6-7mm Drop Green Faceted Top Drill - 8 Inch

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Cubic Zirconia, abbreviated as CZ, is a lab-made form of zirconium dioxide. Made to resemble Diamonds, these stones offer the same beauty and spark...

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Cubic Zirconia (CZ) 5-6mm Drop Brown Faceted Top Drill - 8 Inch

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Cubic Zirconia, abbreviated as CZ, is a lab-made form of zirconium dioxide. Made to resemble Diamonds, these stones offer the same beauty and spark...

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Black Spinel 5-6mm Drop Faceted Top Drill - 8 Inch

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Spinel is a hard vitreous magnesium aluminum oxide, and comes in a range of other colors, but those varieties are transparent. Black Spinel not onl...

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Green Kyanite 6-8x12-25mm Drop - 15-16 Inch

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Kyanite often occurs as long, bladed, striated crystals, transparent or translucent with a pearly luster. An aluminum silicate mineral, it may appe...

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Ethiopian Opal 5-6x6-8mm Pear Brown - 15-16 Inch

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Ethiopian Opal was first discovered in Ethiopia in 1994, with additional major finds in 2008 and 2013. Beautiful specimens of Precious Opal, Fire O...

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Ethiopian Opal 4x9-12mm Pear Black - 15-16 Inch

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Ethiopian Opal was first discovered in Ethiopia in 1994, with additional major finds in 2008 and 2013. Beautiful specimens of Precious Opal, Fire O...

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Amazonite 8-9mm Heart - 8 Inch

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Brazilian Amazonite is an opaque blue to green to light green stone, often occurring with inclusions of white, yellow or gray and occasionally tran...

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Ethiopian Opal 4x6-7x10mm Drop Faceted White - 15-16 Inch

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Ethiopian Opal was first discovered in Ethiopia in 1994, with additional major finds in 2008 and 2013. Beautiful specimens of Precious Opal, Fire O...

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Labradorite 8x12mm Top Drill Faceted Tear Drop - 15-16 Inch

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Labradorite is remarkable for the way its aggregate layers refract light, creating iridescent flashes of blue, gold, pale green or copper red. This...

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Green Quartz 8x12mm Top Drill Faceted Tear Drop - 15-16 Inch

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From Brazil, Blue Green Quartz, also known as Prase, is solid clear Quartz crystals that get its bluish green color from Actinolite and Chlorite. Q...

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Yellow Tiger Eye 8x12mm Top Drill Faceted Tear Drop - 15-16 Inch

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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...

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Lapis Quartz 8x12mm Top Drill Faceted Tear Drop - 15-16 Inch

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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...

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Mookaite 8x12mm Top Drill Faceted Tear Drop - 15-16 Inch

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Mookaite is a variety of Jasper in colors of red, burgundy, pink, mauve, purple, yellow and white. It takes its name from Mooka Creek, near the Ken...

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Hematoid Quartz 8x12mm Top Drill Faceted Tear Drop - 15-16 Inch

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Hematoid Quartz is Quartz with inclusions of hematite. The hematite inclusions are responsible for the stone’s color, which can be yellow, orange, ...

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Aquamarine 8x12mm Drop - 8 Inch

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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...

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Opalite Pink (Synthetic) 6X10mm Teardrop - 15-16 inch - CLEARANCE

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Opalite is the trade name for man to made glass treated to exhibit the internal flashes of true Opals in translucent samples, and opalescence or lu...

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Opalite (Synthetic) 13X18mm Puff Teardrop - 15-16 inch - CLEARANCE

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Opalite is the trade name for man to made glass treated to exhibit the internal flashes of true Opals in translucent samples, and opalescence or lu...

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About this cut

Teardrop bead shape diagram
Cut name
Teardrop
Drill style
Top-drilled (briolette) or end-drilled
Typical sizes
9x13-12x16mm6mm9x32mm6x12-10x20mm13mm13x15mm15mm32mm
Stones in this cut
OpalQuartzLabradoriteAmazoniteJasperOcean JasperLapisMoonstoneRose QuartzTurquoiseChalcedonyChrysoprase
Common uses
earring drops on French wires or leverbackspendant focals on chain or beaded necklacesgraduated strand centerpiecesinline stringing for rhythmic necklacesbriolette-style wire-wrapped dropsbridal and formal jewelry
Related cuts
Marquise, Free Form
Design notes
Teardrops are a focal cut — one or two do the visual work that a dozen rounds would. For earrings, match top-drilled pairs in the 9x13–12x16mm range; for statement pendants, the 9x32mm and 32mm elongated drops carry on their own without supporting beads. Pair teardrops with smaller rounds, rondelles, or faceted spacers rather than other focals, and check drill orientation (top-drilled vs full-drilled) before designing — the two drill styles are not interchangeable and dictate whether the bead dangles or strings inline.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is a teardrop bead and how is it drilled?
    A teardrop (or drop) bead is shaped like a rounded pear or elongated tear — wider and rounded at the base, tapering to a narrower point at the top. Dakota's teardrops come in two main drill styles: top-drilled, where the hole runs across the narrow tip so the bead hangs point-up like a pendant or briolette, and full-drilled (lengthwise through the long axis), which lets the bead sit inline on a strand. Drill orientation should be disclosed — ask before buying if it isn't specified, since it changes how the bead behaves in a design.
  • What sizes does Dakota stock in teardrop?
    Teardrop is a dimensional cut, so sizes are given as width × length rather than a single diameter. Dakota's current stock concentrates in the 9x13–12x16mm range (a working mid-size for earrings and focal accents) and 6x12–10x20mm for longer, more elongated drops. There are also smaller 6mm and mid-13mm options, larger 13x15mm and 15mm drops, and dramatic long forms in 9x32mm and 32mm for statement pendants. Calibration varies by stone and drill style — check the size tag on each listing.
  • What stones come in teardrop shape?
    Dakota currently carries about 190 active teardrop SKUs across a wide stone range. Top counts include opal (16), quartz (13), labradorite (11), amazonite (11), jasper (10), ocean jasper (9), lapis (8), moonstone (8), rose quartz (6), and tourmaline (5). Translucent and chatoyant stones (moonstone, labradorite, opal, quartz) show especially well in teardrop because the tapered form catches and directs light. Treatment varies by stone — stabilization, dye, and heat should be disclosed; ask before buying if it isn't specified.
  • What jewelry designs are teardrops best for?
    Teardrops are a focal cut. Top-drilled drops are the workhorse for earrings — a matched pair off ear wires reads finished with almost no other componentry. They also work as pendants on a chain or as the centerpiece of a beaded necklace, where a single drop anchors a strand of rounds or rondelles. Full-drilled teardrops can be strung inline to create a graduated or rhythmic strand. The pointed end naturally directs the eye downward, which is why teardrops feel formal and elongating in finished pieces.
  • Top-drilled vs full-drilled teardrop — which should I order?
    Choose by how the bead needs to hang. Top-drilled (across the narrow tip) is correct for earrings, pendants, and any application where the drop should dangle point-up with the wide base swinging free. Full-drilled (lengthwise through the long axis) is correct for inline stringing, where teardrops are stacked or alternated with spacers along a strand. The two are not interchangeable — a top-drilled bead can't be strung inline cleanly, and a full-drilled bead won't dangle as a drop. Drill style should be specified on each listing.