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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.

Large Hole Gemstone Beads for Jewelry Making & Crafting

Products: 282

Carnelian 10mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Carnelian is a glassy, translucent stone that can appear with such bright orange hues that the ancient Egyptians called it “the setting sun.” Most ...

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Botswana Agate 10mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Botswana Agate displays highly defined parallel banding, usually in white on hues of brown, gray, pink, tan, apricot and purplish red. Botswana Aga...

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Rhodonite 10mm Round With Matrix - Large Hole Beads

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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...

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Kabamby Ocean Jasper 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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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...

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Elephant Skin Jasper 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Elephant Skin Jasper, also known as Calligraphy Stone or Miriam Stone, features intricate light brown patterns on dark brown stones. Each stone is ...

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Graphic Feldspar 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Feldspars are a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, containing sodium, calcium, potassium or barium. The most common members of...

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Botswana Agate 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Botswana Agate displays highly defined parallel banding, usually in white on hues of brown, gray, pink, tan, apricot and purplish red. Botswana Aga...

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Red Brecciated Jasper 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Red Brecciated Jasper is typically found in deep red, black, rust and cream hues, which form fragmented patterns throughout the stone. The name der...

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Ruby Zoisite 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Ruby Zoisite occurs naturally when small Ruby crystals become embedded within Zoisite. The Ruby inclusions in this stone are pink to reddish purple...

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Mookaite 10mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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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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Mookaite 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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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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Carnelian 6mm Faceted Round - Large Hole Beads

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Carnelian is a glassy, translucent stone that can appear with such bright orange hues that the ancient Egyptians called it “the setting sun.” Most ...

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Pink Opal 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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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...

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Crystal Quartz 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Crystal Quartz is a naturally occurring clear and colorless Quartz. It is a crystalline form of Quartz said to have many divine properties includin...

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White Howlite 6mm Round Matte Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch

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White Howlite is named for Canadian mineralogist Henry How, who first discovered the stone in Southern California in 1868. It is typically white or...

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Pink Opal 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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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...

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Bloodstone 6mm Round Matte Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch

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Bloodstone most commonly refers to green Jasper with red inclusions consisting of Hematite. Naturally occuring in hues of blue to green to green wi...

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Blue Aventurine 8mm Large Hole Round - 8 Inch

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Multi Rhutilated Quartz 8mm Faceted Rondelle Large Hole (2-2.5mm) 8-Inch

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Picture Jasper 10x14mm Barrel - Large Hole Beads

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Picture Jasper is a form of brown Jasper characterized by its unique banding and flow patterns created by petrified or silicate mud and occasional ...

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BC Jade 10mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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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...

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Sky Blue Marbled Quartz 6mm Round Faceted - Large Hole Beads

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Marbeled or Mosaic Quartz is a composite stone made with a combination of dyed quartz and bronzite stone remnants from the cutting process mixed wi...

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Unakite 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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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...

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Rhodonite 8mm Round With Matrix - Large Hole Beads

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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...

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Selenite 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Selenite is a crystal formed from the mineral gypsum, which comes in many forms and color variations, but has been used historically to describe th...

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Botswana Red Agate 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Botswana Agate displays highly defined parallel banding, usually in white on hues of brown, gray, pink, tan, apricot and purplish red. Botswana Aga...

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Mookaite 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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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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Graphic Feldspar 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Feldspars are a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, containing sodium, calcium, potassium or barium. The most common members of...

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Mixed Lodalite Quartz 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Mixed Lodolite is Quartz with inclusions of sand. These inclusions range broadly in type and color and produce patterns that can look like gardens....

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Tiger Eye Yellow 6mm Round Faceted Large Hole Beads - 8 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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Blue Marbled Quartz 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Marbeled or Mosaic Quartz is a composite stone made with a combination of dyed quartz and bronzite stone remnants from the cutting process mixed wi...

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Crystal Quartz 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Crystal Quartz is a naturally occurring clear and colorless Quartz. It is a crystalline form of Quartz said to have many divine properties includin...

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Brazilian Amazonite 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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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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Orange Garnet 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Orange or Hessonite Garnet is sometimes called “Cinnamon Stone” for its orange to orange to brown color as well as for its origin in the land of sp...

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Cacoxenite 6mm Faceted Round Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch

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Cacoxenite is the trade name for this naturally occurring blend of seven stone types. It was originally named for the visible inclusions of the min...

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Blue Aventurine 6mm Large Hole Round - 8 Inch

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Elisa Turquoise 10-20mm Nugget with 2mm Hole Size - Single Bead

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This turquoise is mined from the Sonora mines in Mexico. Like all other natural turquoise, its coloring is the result of the chemical reaction that...

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Strawberry Quartz 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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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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Lemurian Aquatine Calcite 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Calcite is the one of the most common minerals. It occurs in a great variety of shapes and colors, and it constitutes a major portion of many of th...

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Sunset Dumortierite 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Sunset Dumortierite has a much brighter palette than regular Dumortierite, from light blue to lapis blue to cobalt, as well as some occurrences of ...

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Red Garnet 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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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...

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African Petrified Wood Agate 8mm Large Hole Round - 8 Inch

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Petrified Wood Agate is formed from the petrifaction process of primeval trees over the course of many years. Petrification occurs when the wood is...

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Rainbow Obsidian 10mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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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...

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Silver Obsidian 8mm Large Hole Round - 8 Inch

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Essentially a volcanic glass, Obsidian ranges in color from opaque black, to green, brown, mahogany, black with rainbow colors, black with snowflak...

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Sky Blue Marbled Quartz 8mm Round Faceted - Large Hole Beads

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Marbeled or Mosaic Quartz is a composite stone made with a combination of dyed quartz and bronzite stone remnants from the cutting process mixed wi...

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Pietersite 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Pietersite has been called the Tempest Stone for its colors of deep blue and gray with metallic gold and flashes of brilliant chatoyancy as it catc...

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Ruby Zoisite 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Ruby Zoisite occurs naturally when small Ruby crystals become embedded within Zoisite. The Ruby inclusions in this stone are pink to reddish purple...

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Graphic Feldspar 10mm Round - Large Hole Beads

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Feldspars are a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, containing sodium, calcium, potassium or barium. The most common members of...

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Frequently asked questions

  • 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.