Large Hole Beads
Large hole beads are gemstone beads drilled for cord — a 2mm hole on the 6mm rounds, 2.5mm on the 8mm and 10mm, wide enough for leather, waxed cotton and fine macramé cord to pass straight through. The stone is the same as the standard strand, quartz and amethyst through jasper, agate and freshwater pearl; only the hole changes. On cord a bead slides or knots in place, and a single 8mm round of lapis or tiger eye on a length of leather is a finished piece.
Products: 288
Rhodonite Large Hole Faceted 8mm Round - 8-inch - CLEARANCE
Rhodonite, whose name is derived from the Greek word for Rose, “rhodon,†is known for its pink, red and magenta hues. A Manganese inosilicate (...
View full detailsRiver Stone 10mm 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 detailsRiver Stone 5x8mm Rondelle - 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 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 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 detailsRose Quartz 10mm Large Hole Round 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 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 detailsRose Quartz 8mm Faceted Rondelle Large Hole 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 detailsRose Quartz 8mm Large Hole Round - 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 detailsRuby Zoisite 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads
Ruby Zoisite occurs naturally when small Ruby crystals become embedded within Zoisite. The Ruby inclusions in this stone are pink to reddish purple...
View full detailsRuby Zoisite 6mm Round Faceted - Large Hole Beads
Ruby Zoisite occurs naturally when small Ruby crystals become embedded within Zoisite. The Ruby inclusions in this stone are pink to reddish purple...
View full detailsRuby Zoisite 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads
Ruby Zoisite occurs naturally when small Ruby crystals become embedded within Zoisite. The Ruby inclusions in this stone are pink to reddish purple...
View full detailsSelenite 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads
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...
View full detailsSilver Obsidian 8mm Large Hole Round - 8 Inch
Essentially a volcanic glass, Obsidian ranges in color from opaque black, to green, brown, mahogany, black with rainbow colors, black with snowflak...
View full detailsSky Blue Marbled Quartz 6mm Round - Large Hole Beads
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...
View full detailsSky Blue Marbled Quartz 6mm Round Faceted - Large Hole Beads
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...
View full detailsSky Blue Marbled Quartz 8mm Round Faceted - Large Hole Beads
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...
View full detailsSmoky Quartz 10x14mm Barrel - Large Hole Beads
Smoky Quartz is a translucent smoky brown or gray variety of Quartz. It ranges from almost completely transparent to an almost opaque brownish to g...
View full detailsSmoky Quartz 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
Smoky Quartz is a translucent smoky brown or gray variety of Quartz. It ranges from almost completely transparent to an almost opaque brownish to g...
View full detailsSmoky Quartz 8mm Round Large Hole 8-Inch
Smoky Quartz is a translucent smoky brown or gray variety of Quartz. It ranges from almost completely transparent to an almost opaque brownish to g...
View full detailsSodalite 8mm Faceted Rondelle Large Hole 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 detailsSodalite 8mm Round Large Hole 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 detailsSodalite 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 detailsStrawberry Quartz 8mm Round - Large Hole Beads
Strawberry Quartz is a translucent, milky to pink silicon dioxide mineral. Its needle to like inclusions of hematite are iridescent red. Quartz has...
View full detailsSunset Dumortierite 10mm Large Hole Faceted Round - 8-Inch
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 detailsSunset Dumortierite 6mm Faceted 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 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 detailsSunset Dumortierite 8mm Faceted Rondelle Large Hole 8-Inch
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 detailsSunset Dumortierite 8mm Large Hole Rondelle 8-Inch
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 detailsSunset Dumortierite 8mm Large Hole Round - 8-Inch
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 detailsTiger Eye 10mm Round Large Hole 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 detailsTiger Eye 8mm Large Hole Faceted Round - 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 detailsTiger Eye 8mm Round Large Hole 8-Inch
Red Tiger Eye is actually Brown Tiger Eye which has been heat treated to bring out the red color. This macrocrystalline Quartz stone has chatoyant ...
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 detailsTiger Eye Yellow 6mm Round Faceted Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch - CLEARANCE
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 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 detailsTrolleite 8mm Large Hole Round - 8 Inch
Trolleite is an extremely rare aluminum phosphate mineral that crystallizes in the form of masses and small prismatic crystals. It is made up of qu...
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 detailsUnakite 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 detailsUnakite 8mm 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 detailsWhite Howlite 6mm Round 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 detailsWhite Howlite 6mm Round Matte Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch - CLEARANCE
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 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 detailsWood Rhodonite 6mm Faceted 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 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 detailsYellow Jade 10mm Large Hole Round 8-Inch
Yellow Jade is not actually Jade, but a form of natural Serpentine which is commonly referred to as Yellow Jade in the stone industry. This semi to...
View full detailsYellow Jade 8mm Faceted Large Hole Round - 8-Inch
Yellow Jade is not actually Jade, but a form of natural Serpentine which is commonly referred to as Yellow Jade in the stone industry. This semi-tr...
View full detailsYellow Jade 8mm Large Hole Round - 8-Inch
Yellow Jade is not actually Jade, but a form of natural Serpentine which is commonly referred to as Yellow Jade in the stone industry. This semi to...
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Gemstone beads with 2mm and 2.5mm holes

Large hole pearls, turquoise, quartz, agate and jasper

6mm, 8mm and 10mm on 8-inch strands — for leather cord and macramé
Frequently asked questions
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What is a large hole bead and what cord fits through it?
A large hole bead is drilled at 2mm or wider, where a standard gemstone bead is drilled at about 0.8mm to 1.2mm for beading wire and silk. The wider bore takes cord: 1mm and 1.5mm round leather, 2mm round or flat leather, waxed cotton, satin (rat-tail) cord, hemp and macramé cord in the 1mm to 2mm range, or several strands of a fine cord together. Cord should pass freely — stone holes do not stretch — so match the cord to the listed hole size with a little clearance. -
What hole size do large hole gemstone beads have?
Two bores cover nearly everything: 2mm on the 6mm beads and 2.5mm on the 8mm and 10mm beads. Freshwater pearls are drilled at 2mm. Some strands are listed as 2–2.5mm where the bore varies bead to bead within that range, and a few run 2–3mm. The drilling is ultrasonic, so the hole holds one width from end to end with a clean edge, and the hole size is given on each listing beside the bead size. -
What are large hole beads used for?
Leather cord is the main use: bracelets and necklaces on 1.5mm to 2mm round leather, with the beads knotted in place or left to slide. Macramé and knotted jewelry on 1mm to 2mm cord is the second, the beads worked into square knots, half hitches and sliding closures. They also string on satin and rat-tail cord, waxed cotton, hemp, micro paracord and kumihimo braids fine enough to pass a 2mm hole, and one bead on a knotted cord is a finished piece by itself. Because the cord carries the bead, a piece sits and drapes with more movement than one strung tight on wire. -
Which gemstones come with large holes?
Most of the stone range has been drilled this way at one time or another — more than a hundred stones over the life of the line. The quartz family is the largest group: crystal, rose, smoky and rutilated quartz, with amethyst beside them. Jaspers and agates follow — picture, red creek, ocean and impression jasper; Botswana, blue lace, crazy lace and flower agate — then amazonite, lapis, sodalite, tiger eye, aventurine, jade, rhodonite, labradorite, aquamarine, garnet, African turquoise, obsidian, onyx, carnelian, howlite and lava, plus freshwater pearl in potato, rice, button and baroque shapes. Most are natural; dyed, heated or stabilized strands are labelled where known, and the man-made glass beads — opalite, goldstone — are named as such. -
What size cord fits a 2mm or 2.5mm hole?
Allow clearance. A 2mm hole passes 1mm and 1.5mm round leather and most 1mm to 1.5mm cords; a 2.5mm hole passes 2mm round leather, 2mm flat leather on edge, or two strands of 1mm cord. Leather is rarely perfectly round, so the cord should slide through without forcing. Bead diameter is a separate measure — an 8mm and a 10mm bead here share the same 2.5mm bore — so diameter sets the look and weight of a piece while the hole sets the cord. A knot in 1.5mm to 2mm leather is wider than the hole, which is what holds a bead in place on cord.