Heishi and Tyre Shape Beads
Today, Heishi is more known as small tube-like beads and can be made from any material like wood or gemstones, but its history stems from shell beads found in the Gulf of California. They were traded by the Santo Domingo Native Americans in exchange for shells or goods.
Products: 97
Green Aventurine 3x6mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
Green Aventurine is a green translucent quartz with glimmering metallic inclusions. Green is the most common color for Aventurine, but it can also ...
View full detailsDendritic Opal 3x6mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
This variety of opal is named "dendritic" for the small inclusions within it that resemble moss or ferns. These inclusions consist of iron, mangane...
View full detailsPicture Jasper 3x6mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
Picture Jasper is a form of brown Jasper characterized by its unique banding and flow patterns created by petrified or silicate mud and occasional ...
View full detailsAfrican Turquoise 3x6mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
African Turquoise is not actually Turquoise, but rather a speckled teal Jasper found in Africa and often treated to simulate the beautiful blue to ...
View full detailsBlack Gold Amazonite 3x6mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
Black Gold Amazonite is a member of the Feldspar family and varies in hue from robin’s egg blue to blue-green to black, occasionally mingled with r...
View full detailsAmethyst 3x6mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
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 ...
View full detailsBumble Bee 7mm Banded Irregular Square Heishi - 15-16 Inch
Note – Due to the unique hand-made manufacturing process of these beads, the strand length, bead measurements, colors, and beads per strand counts ...
View full detailsRed Garnet 4x6mm Irregular Tyre - 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 detailsPyrite 5mm Square Irregular Heishi - 15-16 Inch
Pyrite, an iron sulfide, is characterized by its metallic luster and brass to yellow hue that have earned it the nickname “fool’s gold.” Pyrite is ...
View full detailsSpiny Oyster 3mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
Spiny Oyster 3mm Red Heishi - 15-16 Inch
Hubei Turquoise 6mm Blue Irregular Heishi - 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 detailsLapis 3-4x10-12mm Heishi AAA Grade - 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 detailsUnakite 2x4mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
Unakite is a granite composed of pink Feldspar and Epidote, creating a beautiful blend of pink and green in mottled patterns. The colors in this st...
View full detailsWhite Howlite 2x4mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
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 detailsSodalite 2x4mm Heishi - 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 detailsRose Quartz 2x4mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsRhodonite with Matrix 2x4mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
Rhodonite, whose name is derived from the Greek word for Rose, “rhodon,” is known for its pink, red and magenta hues. A Manganese inosilicate (or c...
View full detailsPicture Jasper 2x4mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
Picture Jasper is a form of brown Jasper characterized by its unique banding and flow patterns created by petrified or silicate mud and occasional ...
View full detailsRed Jasper 2x4mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
Red Jasper is an aggregate of microcrystalline quartz and/or chalcedony and other minerals. The opaque stone’s red color is due to high iron conten...
View full detailsMookaite 2x4mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsPurple Lepidolite 2x4mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsLemon Jade 2x4mm Heishi - 15-16 Inch
Jade refers to an ornamental mineral, mostly known for its green varieties. Jade has been used for tens of thousands of years, initially as tools b...
View full detailsLapis 2x4mm Heishi - 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 detailsAbout this cut
Frequently asked questions
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What is a heishi bead and how is a tyre different?
Heishi (pronounced hee-shee) is a short disc or wafer-shaped bead drilled through the flat face, so beads stack edge-to-edge on the cord and read as a continuous tube of stone. The term comes from Santo Domingo Pueblo shell work. A tyre bead is a slightly taller version — a short cylinder rather than a thin wafer — but drilled the same way through the flat face. Both sit flush against each other on the strand, which is what separates them from rondelles (which are wider than they are tall and have rounded edges). Dakota lists both shapes under this cut because the drill orientation and stacking behavior are the same. -
What sizes of heishi and tyre does Dakota stock?
Current stock runs from about 2mm thin discs up through 8mm short tyres. The most stocked sizes are 2x4mm (a 2mm-thick by 4mm-wide disc, 23 products), 3x6mm (13 products), and 6mm, 8mm, 4mm, 5mm, 2mm and 7mm rounds and discs. The two-number sizes (2x4mm, 3x6mm) describe thickness x diameter — useful when you're matching scale across a multi-strand design. Exact strand length and bead count per strand should be disclosed; ask before buying if it isn't specified. -
What stones come in heishi or tyre cut at Dakota?
Turquoise is by far the deepest stock (26 products) — the heishi cut has strong roots in Southwest turquoise and shell work, and that's reflected in the catalog. Natural shell (7) and spiny oyster (7) carry that same tradition. Beyond that, Dakota stocks heishi in amethyst, jasper, mixed gemstone strands, larimar, quartz, amazonite, citrine and a long tail of other materials. Treatment varies by stone — turquoise in particular is often stabilized — so check the listing for treatment notes, and ask before buying if it isn't specified. -
What jewelry does heishi work best for?
Heishi is the go-to cut for continuous, flexible strands that drape like a tube of solid stone — single-strand chokers and necklaces, layered stacking necklaces, and wrap bracelets all rely on heishi's flush stacking. Thin 2x4mm and 3x6mm discs give you a soft, fluid drape; taller tyres (6mm, 8mm) read more structural and sculptural. Heishi also works well as a spacer between larger focal beads, where the flat face sits cleanly against a round or rondelle without rocking. It's a strong cut for Southwest, coastal, and minimalist designs. -
How does heishi differ from a rondelle or a disc bead?
All three are wider than they are tall, but the proportions and drill behavior differ. A rondelle has rounded edges and is usually wider than the heishi-style disc, so adjacent beads don't sit perfectly flush — there's a small gap at the cord. Heishi is cut with sharper edges and a flatter face specifically so beads stack tight against each other. A tyre is essentially a taller heishi — a short cylinder. If a design needs the strand to read as one continuous surface, heishi or tyre is the cut; if you want defined separation between beads, a rondelle reads better.