Faceted & Microfaceted Shaped Beads

Frequently asked questions

• What's the difference between faceted and microfaceted beads?

  Both are cut with flat, polished planes that catch light — the difference is facet count and size. A standard faceted bead carries fewer, larger facets, so each plane reads as a distinct flash. A microfaceted bead is covered in dozens of much smaller facets, giving a fine, continuous shimmer instead of individual sparkles. Microfaceting is a small-bead cut — it shows best at 2–4mm — while standard faceting runs the full 2mm–10mm range.
• What faceted cuts does Dakota stock?

  The deepest runs are faceted rounds (about 340 active options), table-cut cubes (about 175), and faceted rondelles (about 165), followed by faceted coins, microfaceted rounds, energy prisms, faceted hearts, tri-cut rondelles, and faceted lanterns. Several cuts also have their own collection pages — microfaceted rounds, microfaceted rondelles, faceted cubes, faceted lanterns, and faceted saucers — if you want to browse a single shape in depth.
• What sizes do faceted gemstone beads come in?

  Current stock runs 2mm through 10mm, with the deepest counts at 4mm, 8mm, and 3mm. Rondelles also come in flattened profiles like 2x3mm, 3x4mm, 4x6mm, and 6x8mm — height first, then width. Most strands are 15–16 inch; around 70 large-hole options come on 8-inch strands for leather and thicker cord.
• What stones come in faceted cuts?

  Roughly 70 stones are in stock faceted right now. Tourmaline, quartz, Hubei turquoise, garnet, labradorite, moonstone, amazonite, lapis, ruby, and aquamarine carry the deepest counts — harder, finer-grained materials dominate because they hold a crisp facet edge. The collection also includes lab-made cubic zirconia and terahertz, plus metallic-plated hematite and labradorite; every treatment is identified in the product title.
• How do I choose the right faceted cut for a design?

  Match the cut to the job. Faceted rounds are the all-purpose sparkle bead; rondelles pack more beads per inch, so they're the stacking and spacer choice; table-cut cubes add geometric structure; coins give flat flash for earrings and pendants; energy prisms and hearts work as focals. For fine, continuous shimmer in delicate work, use microfaceted rounds or rondelles at 2–4mm. Mixing faceted accents into smooth strands is the classic move — the sparkle reads deliberate instead of busy.