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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.

Products: 1502

African Blood Stone 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
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Bloodstone most commonly refers to green Jasper with red inclusions consisting of Hematite. Naturally occuring in hues of blue to green to green wi...

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Copper Sunstone 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
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Current price $14.00

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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Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
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Black Lepidolite 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
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A particularly soft stone, Lepidolite has a glassy or lustrous sheen. It is the most abundant lithium-bearing mineral as well as a significant sour...

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Red Black Super Seven 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $28.00 - Original price $28.00
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Current price $28.00

Super 7, also known as Melody's Stone, is a rare, naturally occurring rock composed of seven specific minerals: amethyst, clear quartz, smoky quart...

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Original price $28.00 - Original price $28.00
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Blue Opal 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $24.00 - Original price $24.00
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Blue Peruvian Opal naturally occurs with swirling patterns of deep blues, blue to greens and greens swirled with yellow to green, rust, brown and o...

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Mookaite 8mm Round - 8-Inch

Original price $9.00 - Original price $9.00
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Mookaite is a variety of Jasper in colors of red, burgundy, pink, mauve, purple, yellow and white. It takes its name from Mooka Creek, near the Ken...

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Magnesite (Dyed) Hot Pink 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch

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Magnesite is a soft mineral best known for being dyed to imitate other gemstones. Natural magnesite stones are usually white with a dark web-like p...

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Magnesite (Dyed) Purple 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch

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Magnesite is a soft mineral best known for being dyed to imitate other gemstones. Natural magnesite stones are usually white with a dark web-like p...

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Wampum Shell 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $137.00 - Original price $137.00
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Wampum is made from one of the hardest and most beautiful shells in the world: the Northern Quahog, a clam found along the New England coast. The w...

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Rainbow Obsidian 10mm Round - 15-16 inch

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Rainbow Obsidian earned its name from the chatoyant, rainbow effect of light refracting off of the air bubbles inside of the stone. Like all obsidi...

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Sapphire 4mm Faceted Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $48.00 - Original price $48.00
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Sapphires are precious gemstones, but unlike rubies, they come in a rainbow of colors besides red!  They are all varieties of the mineral corundum,...

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Emerald 3mm Round Faceted AAA Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $53.00 - Original price $53.00
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Emerald is one of the four “precious” gemstones, the others being Diamond, Ruby and Sapphire. It is the green form of Beryl, colored by trace amoun...

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Poppy Jasper 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch

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Jasper has a long and illustrious history, having been worn by shamans, priests and kings and believed to be a powerful protection stone. Ancient E...

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Fluorite 10mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $24.00 - Original price $24.00
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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 to a...

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Blue Lace Agate 10mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $76.00 - Original price $76.00
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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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Original price $76.00 - Original price $76.00
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Wampum Shell 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $132.00 - Original price $132.00
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Wampum is made from one of the hardest and most beautiful shells in the world: the Northern Quahog, a clam found along the New England coast. The w...

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Original price $132.00 - Original price $132.00
Original price $132.00
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Wood Rhodonite 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $11.00 - Original price $11.00
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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...

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Green Imperial Jasper 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch

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Imperial Jasper occurs naturally in a beautiful range of colors including pinks, mossy greens, burgundy and milky white, with striking patterns of ...

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African Petrified Wood Agate 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch

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Petrified Wood Agate is formed from the petrifaction process of primeval trees over the course of many years. Petrification occurs when the wood is...

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Amethyst 8mm Round A Grade Beads - 15-16 Inch

Original price $24.00 - Original price $24.00
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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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Elephant Skin Jasper 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch

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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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Green Garnet 8mm Round Banded - 15-16 Inch

Original price $36.00 - Original price $36.00
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Green Garnet can be among the most valuable of garnets, which come in a variety of colors. Occurring in sizes ranging from a grain of sand to the s...

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Sunstone 4mm Microfaceted Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $23.00 - Original price $23.00
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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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Original price $23.00 - Original price $23.00
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Tanzanite 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $37.00 - Original price $37.00
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Tanzanite is both extremely rare and extremely attractive, and we offer it when we can.

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Diopside 4mm Faceted Round AA Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $61.00 - Original price $61.00
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Diopside is a calcium and magnesium silicate mineral. It is transparent or translucent, and can display a nearly emerald green color due to the pre...

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Atlantisite Stichtite 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $61.00 - Original price $61.00
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Stichtite is a mineral, a carbonate of chromium and magnesium. Its color ranges from pink through lilac to a rich purple color. Discovered in 1910 ...

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Blue Goldstone 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
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Blue Goldstone is an opaque, midnight blue glass with flecks of copper suspended within it. These flecks glitter as they catch the light and may ap...

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Goldstone 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
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Goldstone is a manmade material, consisting of opaque rust to red glass with tiny flecks of glittering copper suspended within it. Goldstone was fi...

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Kunzite 4mm Round Faceted AA Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $32.00 - Original price $32.00
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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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Magnesite (Dyed) Blue 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
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Magnesite is a soft mineral best known for being dyed to imitate other gemstones. Natural magnesite stones are usually white with a dark web-like p...

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Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
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Blood Quartz 10mm Round Grade A 15-16 Inch

Original price $30.00 - Original price $30.00
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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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Amazonite 10mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $31.00 - Original price $31.00
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Brazilian Amazonite is an opaque blue to green to light green stone, often occurring with inclusions of white, yellow or gray and occasionally tran...

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Original price $31.00 - Original price $31.00
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Red Tiger Iron 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $19.00 - Original price $19.00
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Composed mostly of tiger's eye, red jasper and black hematite, Tiger Iron has long been popular with jewelry-makers. The gold, silver, brown and re...

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Kyanite Multi 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $16.00 - Original price $16.00
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Kyanite often occurs as long, bladed, striated crystals, transparent or translucent with a pearly luster. An aluminum silicate mineral, it may appe...

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Madagascar Green Dendritic Opal 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $20.00 - Original price $20.00
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This variety of opal is named "dendritic" for the small inclusions within it that resemble moss or ferns. These inclusions consist of iron, mangane...

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Astrophyllite 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $24.00 - Original price $24.00
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Astrophyllite is a very rare, brown to golden-yellow hydrous potassium iron titanium silicate mineral. Astrophyllite gets its name from the Greek w...

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Astrophyllite 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $20.00 - Original price $20.00
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Astrophyllite is a very rare, brown to golden-yellow hydrous potassium iron titanium silicate mineral. Astrophyllite gets its name from the Greek w...

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Original price $20.00 - Original price $20.00
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Black Mica 10mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch

Original price $36.00 - Original price $36.00
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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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Green Angelite Cat's Eye 12mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $36.00 - Original price $36.00
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Cat’s Eye is a quartz stone that appears in a range of colors including white, gray, green, yellow and brown. The fibrous asbestos inclusions in th...

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Original price $36.00 - Original price $36.00
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Yellow Green Banded Tourmaline 3mm Faceted Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $38.00 - Original price $38.00
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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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Eagle Eye Stone 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
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Similar to Tiger's Eye, this gemstone in its polished state looks like what it would be like to capture smoke in a stone -- bottomless black mixed ...

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Red Black Super Seven 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
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Current price $18.00

Super 7, also known as Melody's Stone, is a rare, naturally occurring rock composed of seven specific minerals: amethyst, clear quartz, smoky quart...

View full details
Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
Original price $18.00
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Current price $18.00

Mookaite 4mm Round - 8-Inch

Original price $8.00 - Original price $8.00
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Current price $8.00

Mookaite is a variety of Jasper in colors of red, burgundy, pink, mauve, purple, yellow and white. It takes its name from Mooka Creek, near the Ken...

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Original price $8.00 - Original price $8.00
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Lemurian Aquatine Calcite 8mm Round - 8-Inch

Original price $18.00 - Original price $18.00
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Calcite is the one of the most common minerals. It occurs in a great variety of shapes and colors, and it constitutes a major portion of many of th...

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Pietersite 8mm Round - 8-Inch

Original price $15.00 - Original price $15.00
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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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Magnesite (Dyed) Turquoise Blue 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
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Current price $12.00

Magnesite is a soft mineral best known for being dyed to imitate other gemstones. Natural magnesite stones are usually white with a dark web-like p...

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Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
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Magnesite (Dyed) Green 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
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Current price $10.00

Magnesite is a soft mineral best known for being dyed to imitate other gemstones. Natural magnesite stones are usually white with a dark web-like p...

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Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
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Current price $10.00

Magnesite (Dyed) Lime Green 4mm Round - 15-16 Inch

Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
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Current price $10.00

Magnesite is a soft mineral best known for being dyed to imitate other gemstones. Natural magnesite stones are usually white with a dark web-like p...

View full details
Original price $10.00 - Original price $10.00
Original price $10.00
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Current price $10.00

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.