Large Hole Gemstone Beads
Large-hole gemstone beads allow for jewelry designs with thicker cords. Our 8-inch strands come in 6 mm, 8 mm, and 10 mm rounds or rondelles, each drilled to an ample 2.0 mm (6 mm size) or 2.5 mm (8 mm & 10 mm sizes). Choose from polished, faceted, or matte finishes in 70+ popular stone types.
These big hole beads slip easily onto leather cord, suede, kumihimo braid, hemp, rat-tail, or heavy-gauge wire—ideal for slide-knot bracelets, bolo-style necklaces, and mixed-media macramé. Designers love them for speedy string-ups and for adding natural heft to pieces that need to sit flat and wear strong.
Browse the full range, filter by size or finish, and pair your picks with matching leather or cord from our Tools & Supplies section to build durable, statement-ready jewelry without fuss.
Products: 292
Unakite 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads
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 detailsBlue Aventurine 6mm Large Hole Round - 8 Inch
Sodalite Natural 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 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 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 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 detailsMatte Larvikite 6mm Round Large Hole - 8 Inch - CLEARANCE
The name originates from the town of Larvik, Norway where this type of igneous rock is found. Legend has it that it came to the world?s attention i...
View full detailsGraphic Feldspar 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, containing sodium, calcium, potassium or barium. The most common members of...
View full detailsMookaite 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads
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 detailsRainbow Obsidian 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads
Rainbow Obsidian earned its name from the chatoyant, rainbow effect of light refracting off of the air buddles inside of the stone. Like all obsidi...
View full detailsLava 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads
Lava is rock from the molten center of the earth, once spewed through fractures in the planetary crust or from a volcanic eruption. Once cooled, th...
View full detailsBC Jade 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads
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 detailsBlueberry Quartz 8mm Round (Synthetic) - Large Hole Beads - CLEARANCE
Treated quartz that results in a unique blue color.
Carnelian 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads
Carnelian is a glassy, translucent stone that can appear with such bright orange hues that the ancient Egyptians called it “the setting sun.” Most ...
View full detailsAfrican Petrified Wood Agate 6mm Large Hole Round - 8 Inch
Petrified Wood Agate is formed from the petrifaction process of primeval trees over the course of many years. Petrification occurs when the wood is...
View full detailsBlue Aventurine 8mm Large Hole Round - 8 Inch
White Howlite 6mm Round Matte Large Hole Beads - 8 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 detailsGreen Aventurine 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 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 detailsLarvikite Natural 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
The name originates from the town of Larvik, Norway where this type of igneous rock is found. Legend has it that it came to the world?s attention i...
View full detailsRed Jasper Natural 6mm Round Matte Large Hole Beads - 8 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 detailsPicture Jasper Natural 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 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 detailsGolden Obsidian Natural 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
Golden Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass, shiny black with a golden sheen. Obsidian is produced when lava erupts from a volcano and ...
View full detailsRed Creek Jasper 6mm Round Matte Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
Red Creek Jasper is named for the Red River in china where the stone was recently discovered. Its colors include burnt red, mustard yellow, olive g...
View full detailsBlack Gold Amazonite 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 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 detailsLarvikite 6mm Faceted Round Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
The name originates from the town of Larvik, Norway where this type of igneous rock is found. Legend has it that it came to the world?s attention i...
View full detailsRiver Stone 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads
River Stone is a form of limestone composed of quartz, calcium carbonate and other materials. Naturally beautiful, it offers a way to work a neutra...
View full detailsAfrican Petrified Wood Agate 8mm Large Hole Round - 8 Inch
Petrified Wood Agate is formed from the petrifaction process of primeval trees over the course of many years. Petrification occurs when the wood is...
View full detailsDog Teeth Amethyst Natural 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
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 detailsRed Creek Jasper 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
Red Creek Jasper is named for the Red River in china where the stone was recently discovered. Its colors include burnt red, mustard yellow, olive g...
View full detailsTiger Eye Natural 6mm Round Matte Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
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...
View full detailsBloodstone 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
Bloodstone most commonly refers to green Jasper with red inclusions consisting of Hematite. Naturally occurring in hues of blue to green to green w...
View full detailsTiger Eye Yellow 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
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...
View full detailsWood Rhodonite 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 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 detailsBloodstone 6mm Round Matte Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
Bloodstone most commonly refers to green Jasper with red inclusions consisting of Hematite. Naturally occuring in hues of blue to green to green wi...
View full detailsRiver Stone 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads
River Stone is a form of limestone composed of quartz, calcium carbonate and other materials. Naturally beautiful, it offers a way to work a neutra...
View full detailsGraphic Feldspar 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, containing sodium, calcium, potassium or barium. The most common members of...
View full detailsMookaite 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads
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 detailsRainbow Obsidian 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads
Rainbow Obsidian earned its name from the chatoyant, rainbow effect of light refracting off of the air buddles inside of the stone. Like all obsidi...
View full detailsUnakite 10mm Round - Large Hole Beads
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 detailsRhodonite 8mm Round With Matrix - Large Hole Beads
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 detailsBC Jade 10mm Round - Large Hole Beads
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 detailsLava 10mm Round - Large Hole Beads
Lava is rock from the molten center of the earth, once spewed through fractures in the planetary crust or from a volcanic eruption. Once cooled, th...
View full detailsSunset Dumortierite 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads
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 detailsKabamby Ocean Jasper 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads
Named for the village near where it is found in Madagascar, Kabamby Ocean Jasper was first mined in 2002. It is known for its colors to to dark gre...
View full details6mm Birds Eye Rhyolite Natural Round Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
Bird’s Eye Rhyolite is named for its circular color formations of deep reds, light tans and earthtones. Rhyolite was named "streaming rock" because...
View full detailsMixed Stone 8mm Large Hole Round - 8 Inch
Larvikite Large Hole 8mm Round - 8-inch
The name originates from the town of Larvik, Norway where this type of igneous rock is found. Legend has it that it came to the world?s attention i...
View full detailsWhite Howlite 8mm Large Hole Round 8-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 detailsMATTE Red Jasper 8mm Large Hole Round - 8-Inch
Picture Jasper 8mm Round Large Hole 8-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 detailsFrequently asked questions
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What is a large hole bead and what cord does it fit?
Large hole beads are drilled with an oversized channel — typically 2mm or larger — so cord, leather, or memory wire passes through where a standard 0.7–1mm stringing hole would not. Standard gemstone strands are drilled for beading wire and silk; large-hole strands open the option to use 1mm and 1.5mm round leather, 2mm flat leather, paracord, kumihimo bundles, and heavier silk satin cord. Always check the listed hole size against the cord diameter before buying — cord should pass freely without forcing, since stone holes do not stretch. Hole size should be disclosed; ask before buying if it isn't specified. -
What hole size do Dakota's large-hole strands carry?
Most large-hole gemstone strands in this collection are drilled at 2mm or 2.5mm, with some specialty drills running larger for thicker leather and paracord. The exact bore varies by stone, cut, and bead size — softer materials like amazonite and lapis tolerate a wider drill than harder stones like quartz at the same diameter. the listing lists the drilled hole size for each strand; if it isn't specified on a listing, ask before ordering so the bore matches your cord. For mixed-strand designs, confirm hole size on every strand rather than assuming consistency across the category. -
What are large hole beads used for?
The four common applications: leather-cord bracelets and necklaces (1mm–2mm round or flat leather), kumihimo braids where the finished cord threads through a focal or end bead, memory wire bracelets that use 0.6–1mm wire but benefit from looser bead fit, and European-style charm bracelets built on heavier chain or cable. Large-hole strands also work for macramé spacers, paracord survival bracelets, and any design where the cord, not a beading needle, carries the bead. The wider channel changes the drape — beads sit looser on cord than tight-strung designs, which is part of the intended look. -
Which gemstones are available with large holes?
The category spans quartz varieties (clear, rose, smoky), jaspers, agates, amazonite, amethyst, larvikite, tiger eye, lapis, garnet, and freshwater pearl, among others. Round is the dominant cut at 8mm and 6mm, with rondelles and faceted rounds also well represented. Availability shifts as strands sell through, so the exact stone-by-size mix changes — filter by stone or cut from the collection page, or check the active listing for the size and hole bore you need. Softer stones generally drill to wider bores more reliably than harder, brittle materials, which affects which stones appear in 2.5mm+ drill sizes. -
How do bead diameter and hole size relate for cord fit?
Bead diameter and hole size are independent specs — an 8mm round can be drilled at 1mm or 2.5mm depending on the strand. For cord work, the hole bore is what matters: 1.5mm leather needs roughly a 2mm hole to pass cleanly, and 2mm leather wants a 2.5mm bore or larger. Diameter affects drape and visual weight, not whether the cord fits. A common build is 8mm rounds on 1.5mm leather, or 6mm rounds for finer cord and lighter wrists. Check the listed hole size on each listing before matching to cord, and account for knots or crimps at the cord ends.