Round Beads
Round beads are the workhorse—and showpiece—of jewelry design. Our All Rounds collection spans more than 100 natural stone types, each offered in graduated sizes from 4 mm to 12 mm so you can build seamless strands, stackable bracelets, or accent rows without hunting for a match.
What sets Dakota rounds apart is the one-batch method: we cut every size you see from the same parcel of rough, then sort by diameter in a single production run. That “Dakota Way” means a 6 mm lapis bead and its 10 mm big brother share identical hue and pattern, giving finished pieces a professional, color-true flow.
Every sphere is diamond-ground to perfect symmetry, hand-polished for a glassy finish, and visually graded to Dakota Stones standards before it ships. Stock up on crowd-pleasers like Amazonite, Kyanite, Jasper, and Quartz—or branch into rarities such as Variscite or Shattuckite—confident that each round will string, drape, and wear with the consistency designers trust.
Botswana Agate 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$18.00
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$18.00
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$18.00
$18.00
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$18.00
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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$18.00
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$18.00
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$18.00
$18.00
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$18.00
Botswana Agate 8mm Round 15-16 Inch
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$24.00
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$24.00
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$24.00
$24.00
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$24.00
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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$24.00
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$24.00
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$24.00
$24.00
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$24.00
Tiger Eye 8mm Round Large Hole 8-Inch
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
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 ...
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
MATTE Red Creek Jasper 8mm Large Hole Round 8-Inch
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
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...
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
Smoky Quartz 8mm Round Large Hole 8-Inch
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$15.00
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$15.00
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$15.00
$15.00
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$15.00
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...
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$15.00
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$15.00
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$15.00
Red Creek Jasper 8mm Round Large Hole 8-Inch
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
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 details
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
Tiger Eye 10mm Round Large Hole 8-Inch
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
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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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
Fire Opal 10mm Round Large Hole 8-Inch
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
This Fire Opal contains both Opal and the rhyolitic host material in which it is formed, which provides sufficient hardness for the stone to be cut...
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$14.00
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$14.00
Picture Jasper 8mm Round Large Hole 8-Inch
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
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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$12.00
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Bronzite 8mm Round Large Hole 8-Inch
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
Bronzite is a brown stone with a bronze to colored metallic luster due to iron deposits within the stone. An orthoproxene mineral, it is believed t...
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$12.00
Birds Eye Rhyolite 10mm Large Hole Round - 8-Inch
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
$14.00
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$14.00
Bird’s Eye Rhyolite is named for its circular color formations of deep reds, light tans and earthtones. Rhyolite was named "streaming rock" because...
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
Tiger Eye Yellow 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
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$11.00
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$11.00
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$11.00
$11.00
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$11.00
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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$11.00
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$11.00
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$11.00
$11.00
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$11.00
Smoky Quartz 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
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...
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
Petrified Wood Opalite 6mm Round - 8-inch
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$9.00
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$9.00
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$9.00
$9.00
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$9.00
Wood Opalite is a type of petrified wood that has been impregnated with the Silicon Dioxide commonly known as Opal. Wood Opalite occurs in a range ...
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$9.00
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$9.00
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$9.00
Artistic Jasper 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$16.00
Artistic Stone has beautiful, intricate patterns of minute black flecks, bands, and veins within the tan, cream, gray and mauve stone. It is made u...
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$16.00
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$16.00
Tiger Eye 8mm Round 15-16 Inch
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
$14.00
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$14.00
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 details
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
Elephant Skin Jasper 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
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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$14.00
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Botswana Agate 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$16.00
$16.00
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$16.00
Botswana Agate displays highly defined parallel banding, usually in white on hues of brown, gray, pink, tan, apricot and purplish red. Botswana Aga...
View full details
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$16.00
$16.00
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$16.00
Tiger Eye 10mm Round - 15-16 inch
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$19.00
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$19.00
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$19.00
$19.00
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$19.00
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 details
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$19.00
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$19.00
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$19.00
$19.00
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$19.00
Pietersite 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$31.00
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$31.00
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$31.00
$31.00
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$31.00
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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$31.00
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$31.00
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$31.00
$31.00
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$31.00
Red Creek Jasper 6mm Round - 15-16 inch
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$9.00
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$9.00
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$9.00
$9.00
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$9.00
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 details
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$9.00
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$9.00
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$9.00
$9.00
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$9.00
Pietersite 6mm Round 15-16 Inch
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$21.00
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$21.00
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$21.00
$21.00
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$21.00
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...
View full details
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$21.00
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$21.00
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$21.00
$21.00
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$21.00
Australian Boulder Opal 4mm Faceted Round - 15-16 Inch
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$28.00
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$28.00
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$28.00
$28.00
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$28.00
Boulder Opal is a golden-brown to dark brown stone, displaying these colors in patterns of parallel bands. It is considered a precious Opal, and fo...
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$28.00
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$28.00
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$28.00
$28.00
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$28.00
Petrified Wood Opalite 10mm Round 8-Inch
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
Wood Opalite is a type of petrified wood that has been impregnated with the Silicon Dioxide commonly known as Opal. Wood Opalite occurs in a range ...
View full details
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
About this cut
Cut name
Round
Drill style
Center-drilled
Typical sizes
8mm6mm4mm10mm3mm2mm12mm5mm
Stones in this cut
AgateJasperQuartzTurquoiseGarnetTourmalineMoonstoneOpalDZI AgateTiger EyeAmazoniteSapphire
Common uses
stretch braceletsmala and prayer-style strandsclassic beaded necklacesmulti-strand layered designsknotted silk or cord necklacesuniform color-block sections in mixed-cut workmen's beaded bracelets in 8mm and 10mm
Related cuts
Faceted Round, Microfaceted Round, Oval
Design notes
Round is the most forgiving cut to design around — predictable diameter, predictable drill, predictable drape. Scale by wrist or neck: 6mm and 8mm cover most adult bracelet work, 4mm reads delicate on a necklace, 10mm+ carries as statement scale. Rounds pair cleanly with faceted rondelles, heishi, or metal spacers when you want textural contrast without breaking the silhouette. For stones with strong pattern, smooth round shows the material better than the faceted-round sibling cut; for uniform-color stones, faceted rounds add sparkle the smooth cut can't.
Frequently asked questions
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What is a smooth round gemstone bead?
A round bead is a sphere cut from gemstone rough and polished smooth — no facets, no flat edges. Standard rounds are center-drilled straight through the bead so the hole runs pole-to-pole. The geometry makes them the most predictable cut to design with: they sit cleanly on flex wire, stack uniformly on stretch cord, and read as a clean color block without the light play of a faceted surface. Rounds are typically calibrated to nominal sizes (4mm, 6mm, 8mm) within standard trade tolerances, though softer or more fractured stones can vary a half-millimeter strand to strand. -
What sizes does Dakota stock in round?
Round is Dakota's deepest cut by volume. Current stock concentrates in 8mm (554 strands), 6mm (477), 4mm (353), and 10mm (342) — the four sizes that cover most beaded jewelry work. Smaller 2mm and 3mm rounds (54 and 140 strands) work for accent spacers and fine-gauge stringing. 12mm (50) and 5mm (28) are stocked in narrower stone selections. Sizes are nominal; actual diameter can run ±0.3mm depending on the stone and lot, so for tight calibration work pull from a single strand where possible. -
What stones come in round cut?
Almost every stone Dakota carries is available as round somewhere in the range. The deepest selections are agate (195 strands across varieties), jasper (149), quartz (134 — clear, smoky, rose, rutilated, and more), and turquoise (107). Garnet (68), tourmaline (64), moonstone (58), opal (55), DZI agate (53), and tiger eye (48) all hold meaningful stock. Less common stones may only appear in one or two sizes — if you need a specific stone-size pairing, filter the collection or check the size tags on individual products before ordering. -
What jewelry work are round beads best for?
Rounds are the default cut for stretch bracelets, mala-style strands, classic beaded necklaces, and anywhere you want the stone's color and pattern to read without faceted sparkle. They sit predictably next to metal spacers, knot cleanly between cord, and don't catch on fabric the way faceted edges can. 6mm and 8mm are the workhorse sizes for adult bracelets; 4mm suits layered necklaces and children's pieces; 10mm and 12mm carry as statement strands or focal sections. For mixed-cut designs, smooth rounds pair well with faceted rondelles or heishi as a textural counterpoint. -
Smooth round vs faceted round — how do I choose?
Smooth rounds emphasize the stone itself — color, pattern, inclusions, chatoyancy. Faceted rounds (a separate cut in the catalog) cut small flat planes across the sphere to add light return, which reads as sparkle but slightly mutes the underlying pattern. For stones with strong figure — ocean jasper, dendritic agate, picture jasper, moss agate — smooth round shows the material better. For uniformly colored stones — garnet, amethyst, smoky quartz — faceted rounds add visible movement. Both drill the same way, so they swap cleanly in a design if you want to test the difference on a sample strand.