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.
Products: 1632
Red Creek Jasper 8mm Round Large Hole 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 detailsKabamby Ocean Jasper 8mm Round - 8-Inch
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 -- dark green ...
View full detailsBlue Apatite 4mm Round - 8-Inch
Blue Apatite ranges in color from light teal-blue to bright blue to dark blue-green. It can be easily confused with other minerals due to its varie...
View full detailsDumortierite 6mm Round 8-Inch
Dumortierite is an aluminum borosilicate mineral that varies in color from blue, green and brown to the more rare violet and pink. First described ...
View full detailsRed Garnet 3mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsOnyx 10mm Round Large Hole 8-Inch
Onyx is a black and white banded Chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline Quartz. It is often thought of as an all-black stone, and much of the black Onyx o...
View full detailsAngelite 6mm Round 15-16 Inch
A natural blue form of calcium sulfate, it raises the state of conscious awareness and facilitates contact with your angels. It is mined in Peru. I...
View full detailsDog Teeth Amethyst 10mm Round 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 detailsBlack Gold Amazonite 8mm Large Hole Round - 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 detailsMATTE Onyx 10mm Round - 8-Inch
Onyx is a black and white banded Chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline Quartz. It is often thought of as an all-black stone, and much of the black Onyx o...
View full detailsRhyolite 8mm Round 8-Inch
Rhyolite is a volcanic, igneous rock with high silica content. Its name is taken from the Greek word “rhyax,” meaning “a stream of lava.” It is che...
View full detailsAmazonite 4mm Round 8-Inch
Amazonite is a member of the feldspar family, Amazonite, also known as Amazon Stone, ranges in color from blue-green to green. It is an opaque ston...
View full detailsAfrican Turquoise 6mm Round 8-Inch
African Turquoise is not actually Turquoise, but rather a speckled teal Jasper found in Africa and often treated to simulate the beautiful blue-gre...
View full detailsAmazonite 10mm Round - 8-Inch
Amazonite is a member of the feldspar family, Amazonite, also known as Amazon Stone, ranges in color from blue-green to green. It is an opaque ston...
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 detailsRed Garnet 8mm Round 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsLabradorite 8mm Round Large Hole 8-Inch
Labradorite is remarkable for the way its aggregate layers refract light, creating iridescent flashes of blue, gold, pale green or copper red. This...
View full detailsRose Quartz 4mm 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 detailsMATTE African Turquoise 8mm Round - 8-Inch
African Turquoise is not actually Turquoise, but rather a speckled teal Jasper found in Africa and often treated to simulate the beautiful blue-gre...
View full detailsJade 8mm Faceted Round Large Hole 8-Inch
Jade refers to an ornamental mineral, mostly known for its green varieties. Our Jade is one of two mineral varieties -- nephrite, a silicate of cal...
View full detailsLava 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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 detailsBlack Gold Amazonite 6mm Round - 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 detailsDog Teeth Amethyst 4mm Round 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 detailsDragon Blood Jasper 4mm Round 8-Inch
Dragon Blood Jasper is a variety of Quartz with veins of blood red that run through the predominantly light green to dark green stone. Legend has i...
View full detailsMATTE Onyx 4mm Round - 8-Inch
Onyx is a black and white banded Chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline Quartz. It is often thought of as an all-black stone, and much of the black Onyx o...
View full detailsOnyx 6mm Round Faceted 8-Inch
Onyx is a black and white banded Chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline Quartz. It is often thought of as an all-black stone, and much of the black Onyx o...
View full detailsMATTE Green Aventurine (AAA) 8mm Round - 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 detailsLabradorite 10mm Round A Grade - 8-Inch
Labradorite is remarkable for the way its aggregate layers refract light, creating iridescent flashes of blue, gold, pale green or copper red. This...
View full detailsAfrican Turquoise 6mm Round Large Hole Beads - 8 Inch
African Turquoise is not actually Turquoise, but rather a speckled teal Jasper found in Africa and often treated to simulate the beautiful blue to ...
View full detailsRhyolite 6mm Round 8-Inch
Rhyolite is a volcanic, igneous rock with high silica content. Its name is taken from the Greek word “rhyax,” meaning “a stream of lava.” It is che...
View full detailsGreen Aventurine (AAA) 8mm Faceted Round - 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 detailsMoonstone 6mm Round 15-16 Inch
Rainbow Moonstone is named for its moon-like glow or chatoyancy, as well as a prismatic quality that differentiates it from other varieties of Moon...
View full detailsRhyolite 4mm Round - 8-Inch
Rhyolite is a volcanic, igneous rock with high silica content. Its name is taken from the Greek word “rhyax,” meaning “a stream of lava.” It is che...
View full detailsCacoxenite Large Hole 8mm Round - 8-inch
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...
View full detailsGoldstone 8mm Round Large Hole 8-Inch
Goldstone is a manmade material, consisting of opaque rust to red glass with tiny flecks of glittering copper suspended within it. Goldstone was fi...
View full detailsFossil Coral Large Hole 8mm Round - 8-inch
White Howlite 10mm 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 detailsBlack Gold Amazonite 8mm Round - 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 detailsMATTE Green Aventurine (AAA) 6mm Round - 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 detailsPurple Crazy Lace Agate 6mm Round - 8-Inch
Purple Crazy Lace Agate is actually Mexican Crazy Lace Agate that has been color enhanced with purple to bring out the beautiful patterns in the st...
View full detailsRose Quartz 10mm 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 detailsFluorite Banded 8mm Round 8-Inch
Fluorite is a luminous, soft and glassy stone, sometimes referred to as “the most colorful mineral in the world.” It is one of the most sought-afte...
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 detailsCacoxenite 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsSodalite 4mm Round - 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 detailsMATTE African Turquoise 6mm Round 8-Inch
African Turquoise is not actually Turquoise, but rather a speckled teal Jasper found in Africa and often treated to simulate the beautiful blue-gre...
View full detailsYellow Jade 4mm 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 detailsPurple Crazy Lace Agate 4mm Round 8-Inch
Purple Crazy Lace Agate is actually Mexican Crazy Lace Agate that has been color enhanced with purple to bring out the beautiful patterns in the st...
View full detailsAbout this cut
Frequently asked questions
-
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.