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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.

Moonstone 10mm Round Mixed - 15-16 Inch

Original price $24.00 - Original price $24.00
Original price $24.00
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Current price $24.00
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Moonstone naturally occurs in a broad spectrum of colors, but is most commonly associated with white, gray and peach. It's soft chatoyancy is remin...

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Aquamarine 10mm Round Step Cut - 15-16 Inch

Original price $28.00 - Original price $28.00
Original price $28.00
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Current price $28.00
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Aquamarine is a transparent to translucent stone ranging from cerulean blue to light blue in higher grades. In lower grades it can be transparent t...

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Citrine 2mm Faceted Round Banded - 15-16 Inch

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Current price $18.00
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Citrine is a transparent Quartz, ranging in color from pale yellow to golden yellow, honey or brown, giving it a similar appearance to Topaz. It ma...

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White Moonstone 10mm Round - 15-16 inch

Original price $87.00 - Original price $87.00
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Current price $87.00
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Moonstone occurs in naturally in shades of white, gray, black, and peach, as well as translucent and iridescent. Metaphysically, moonstone is thoug...

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Opalite Pink (Synthetic) 10mm Faceted Round - 15-16 inch - CLEARANCE

Original price $24.00 - Original price $24.00
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Opalite is the trade name for man to made glass treated to exhibit the internal flashes of true Opals in translucent samples, and opalescence or lu...

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Golden Sunstone 10mm Round Faceted A Grade - 15-16 Inch - CLEARANCE

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Sunstone, a variety of Feldspar, is aptly named for its shades of gold, orange, red and brown, as well as its iridescent sparkle. As the stone catc...

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Lapis 8mm Round Faceted - 15-16 Inch

Original price $33.00 - Original price $33.00
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Lapis is a semi to precious stone and one of the most sought after throughout history. It is highly regarded for its beautiful blue color flecked w...

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Multi Wood Beads 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch

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Green Apatite 4mm Faceted Round Banded - 15-16 Inch

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Green Apatite is a transparent to translucent stone that may be green, yellow to green or sea to green in color. Apatite has been labeled the “dece...

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Rhodochrosite with Matrix Natural 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $67.00 - Original price $67.00
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Current price $67.00
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Rhodochrosite is a bubblegum pink to rose red stone, with occasional inclusions of creamy white and dark grey. A manganese carbonate material of th...

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Red Tiger Eye 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $19.00 - Original price $19.00
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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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DZI Line Agate 10mm Faceted Round Brown White - 15-16 Inch

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“DZI” Agate is made to resemble beads first found in India between 1000 and 2000 BCE. These reproductions are designed in the traditional color, pa...

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Rhodochrosite 3mm Microfaceted Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $21.00 - Original price $21.00
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Rhodochrosite is a bubblegum pink to rose red stone, with occasional inclusions of creamy white and dark grey. A manganese carbonate material of th...

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Original price $21.00 - Original price $21.00
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Mexican Laguna Lace Agate 10mm Round - 15-16 inch

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Mexican Laguna Lace Agate is one of the most prized agates in the world. It is a variety of banded Chalcedony with layers that may contain scarlet,...

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Aquamarine (multi) 6mm Star Cut Round 15-16 Inch

Original price $22.00 - Original price $22.00
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Current price $22.00
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Aquamarine is a transparent to translucent stone ranging from cerulean blue to light blue in higher grades. In lower grades it can be transparent t...

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Biotite Black 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch

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Topaz 8mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $56.00 - Original price $56.00
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Current price $56.00
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Topaz is a rare silicate mineral and obtains much of its popularity from its beautiful colors and its status as a birthstone. Topaz occurs in a wi...

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Tourmalated Quartz Green 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $39.00 - Original price $39.00
Original price $39.00
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Current price $39.00
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Tourmalated Quartz is clear Quartz that has formed with Black Tourmaline. These needle to like black inclusions of Tourmaline are quite striking wi...

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Opalite Pink (Synthetic) 10mm Round - 15-16 inch - CLEARANCE

Original price $21.00 - Original price $21.00
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Current price $21.00
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Opalite is the trade name for man to made glass treated to exhibit the internal flashes of true Opals in translucent samples, and opalescence or lu...

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Original price $21.00 - Original price $21.00
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Citrine 10mm Round (Natural) A Grade - 15-16 inch

Original price $42.00 - Original price $42.00
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Current price $42.00
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Citrine is a transparent Quartz, ranging in color from pale yellow to golden yellow, honey or brown, giving it a similar appearance to Topaz. It ma...

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Pink Opal 10mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $42.00 - Original price $42.00
Original price $42.00
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Current price $42.00
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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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Blue Moonstone 10mm Round AA Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $84.00 - Original price $84.00
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Current price $84.00
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Moonstone naturally occurs in a broad spectrum of colors, but is most commonly associated with white, gray and peach. It's soft chatoyancy is remin...

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Russian Amazonite 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $72.00 - Original price $72.00
Original price $72.00
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Current price $72.00
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Russian Amazonite is a translucent blue to green to green or light green stone, occurring with inclusions of white, black or yellow. It is named fo...

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Aquamarine Multi Natural 10mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $40.00 - Original price $40.00
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Aquamarine is a transparent to translucent stone ranging from cerulean blue to light blue in higher grades. In lower grades it can be transparent t...

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Pink Mica Quartz 8mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $32.00 - Original price $32.00
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Mica is a mineral name given to a group of minerals that are physically and chemically similar. They are all silicate minerals, known as sheet sil...

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Amethyst 6mm Round 15-16 Inch

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Amethyst is a beautiful purple stone, known as a “Gem of Fire” by ancient cultures. It has been greatly sought after throughout history and was at ...

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Blue Black Porcelain Agate 12mm Round - 15-16 inch

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Porcelain Agate is a natural agate that is dyed and heated to give it the unique blue/black color and pattern that resembles porcelain.

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Peruvian Turquoise (Chrysocolla) 10mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $61.00 - Original price $61.00
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Peruvian Turquoise is also known as Turquoise Chrysocolla. It’s attractive blue-green provides a unique color to the mineral world. Peruvian Turquo...

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Hematoid Quartz Copper 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch

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Hematoid Quartz is Quartz with inclusions of hematite. The hematite inclusions are responsible for the stone’s color, which can be yellow, orange, ...

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Blue Lace Agate 8mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $64.00 - Original price $64.00
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Blue Lace Agate is a naturally occurring soft blue agate, laced with bands or swirls of brighter blue, periwinkle, white and occasionally gray or b...

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Lavender Amethyst 10mm Round AAA Grade - 15-16 Inch

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Original price $48.00 - Original price $48.00
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Lavender Amethyst is a transparent lavender variety of Amethyst, which forms in geodes and is generally found in clusters of crystal points. The pr...

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Sale Sale

Tourmaline 4mm Faceted Round AAA Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $72.00 - Original price $72.00
Original price $72.00
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Tourmaline is classified as a semiprecious stone and occurs in a vast array of colors, everything from colorless to black, from pastel to bright to...

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DZI Turtle Agate 10mm Faceted Round Brown White - 15-16 Inch

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“DZI” Agate is made to resemble beads first found in India between 1000 and 2000 BCE. These reproductions are designed in the traditional color, pa...

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Hackmanite 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch

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Discovered in Greenland in the late 1890's, hackmanite is named for Finnish geologist Victor Hackman. It is a rare occurrence to find gem-grade hac...

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K2 12mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $296.00 - Original price $296.00
Original price $296.00
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K2 is a stone recently discovered in the foothills of the mountain for which it is named, K2, in the Karakoram mountain range of Pakistan. It is a ...

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Opalite Yellow (Synthetic) 4mm Round - 15-16 inch - CLEARANCE

Original price $15.00 - Original price $15.00
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Opalite is the trade name for man to made glass treated to exhibit the internal flashes of true Opals in translucent samples, and opalescence or lu...

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Original price $15.00 - Original price $15.00
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Hydrogrossular Garnet 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch

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Hydrogrossular garnet is an especially rare gemstone. It's defined by a bright green color, and most commonly found with black inclusions. These in...

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Selenite 10mm Round Green Purple (Dyed) - 15-16 Inch

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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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Plum Tourmaline 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch

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Tourmaline is classified as a semiprecious stone and occurs in a vast array of colors, everything from colorless to black, from pastel to bright to...

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Black Mica 8mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

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Mica is a mineral name given to a group of minerals that are physically and chemically similar. They are all silicate minerals, known as sheet sil...

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Pink Green Yellow Banded Tourmaline 2mm Faceted Round - 15-16 Inch

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Tourmaline is classified as a semiprecious stone and occurs in a vast array of colors, everything from colorless to black, from pastel to bright to...

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DZI Turtle Agate 10mm Round Green - 15-16 Inch

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“DZI” Agate is made to resemble beads first found in India between 1000 and 2000 BCE. These reproductions are designed in the traditional color, pa...

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Selenite 6mm Round Pastel Rainbow (Dyed) - 15-16 Inch

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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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Kunzite 10mm Round A-Grade - 15-16 Inch

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Kunzite was named after a former Tiffany & Co. vice president, famed mineralogist and jeweler George Frederick Kunz, who first catalogued the s...

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Golden Blood Quartz 10mm Round Grade A - 15-16 inch

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Everything you loved about Blood Quartz is magnified in the A-Grade version of the material. The quality and transparency of the Quartz almost make...

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Cacoxenite Natural 6mm Round A Grade - 15-16 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 White Porcelain Agate 12mm Matte Round - 15-16 inch

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Porcelain Agate is a natural agate that is dyed and heated to give it the unique blue/white color and pattern that resembles porcelain.

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Red Porcelain Jasper 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch

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Porcelain Jasper is a brecciated (broken) Jasper originally found on a gold claim high in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico, where it continues ...

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About this cut

Round bead shape diagram
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

  • 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.