Gemstone Tube Beads
Our tube bead collection includes drilled gemstone beads that can be rounded or squared, offering a different design esthetic with each. We also have metal crimp tubes that make great end pieces for your designs.
Products: 47
Blue Rose Quartz 7x10mm Faceted Tube - 15-16 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 detailsAmethyst 7x10mm Faceted Tube - 15-16 Inch
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 ...
View full detailsBrazilian Amazonite 7x10mm Faceted Tube - 15-16 Inch
Brazilian Amazonite is an opaque blue to green to light green stone, often occurring with inclusions of white, yellow or gray and occasionally tran...
View full detailsStrawberry Quartz 7x10mm Faceted Tube - 15-16 Inch
Strawberry Quartz is a translucent, milky to pink silicon dioxide mineral. Its needle to like inclusions of hematite are iridescent red. Quartz has...
View full detailsCrystal Quartz 7x10mm Faceted Tube - 15-16 Inch
Crystal Quartz is a naturally occurring clear and colorless Quartz. It is a crystalline form of Quartz said to have many divine properties includin...
View full detailsPeach Moonstone 7x10mm Faceted Tube - 15-16 Inch
Moonstone naturally occurs in a broad spectrum of colors, but is most commonly associated with white, gray and peach. Its soft chatoyancy is remins...
View full detailsAfrican Turquoise 2x4mm Tube Beads - 15-16 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 detailsRoman Glass 4x8-9x22mm Free Form Tube with Pendant - 14-15 Inch
Roman glass that has been turned into contemporary beads refers to ancient Roman glass artifacts (often shards or fragments) that are carefully sal...
View full detailsTiger Eye 2x4mm Tube Beads - 15-16 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 detailsCarnelian 8x12mm Tube Simple Cut - 15-16 Inch
Carnelian is a glassy, translucent stone that can appear with such bright orange hues that the ancient Egyptians called it “the setting sun.” Most ...
View full detailsMoss Agate 2x4mm Tube Beads - 15-16 Inch
Moss Agate is a variety of Chalcedony, clear to milky white to dark green, with inclusions that appear in patterns similar to moss or lichen. The i...
View full detailsLabradorite 7x10mm Faceted Tube A Grade - 15-16 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 detailsCarnelian 2x4mm Tube Beads - 15-16 Inch
Carnelian is a glassy, translucent stone that can appear with such bright orange hues that the ancient Egyptians called it “the setting sun.” Most ...
View full detailsBrazilian Amazonite 2x4mm Tube - 15-16 Inch
Brazilian Amazonite is an opaque blue to green to light green stone, often occurring with inclusions of white, yellow or gray and occasionally tran...
View full detailsAncient Glass 5x8-8x20mm Blue Tube Bangle Beads - 16-17 Inch
Ancient glass from Pakistan, particularly from archaeological sites like those in the Swat Valley, has been excavated and repurposed into contempor...
View full detailsRhodonite with Matrix 2x4mm Tube - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsRed Jasper 2x4mm Tube - 15-16 Inch
Red Jasper is an aggregate of microcrystalline quartz and/or chalcedony and other minerals. The opaque stone’s red color is due to high iron conten...
View full detailsAncient Glass 5x8-8x20mm Green Tube Bangle Beads - 16-17 Inch
Ancient glass from Pakistan, particularly from archaeological sites like those in the Swat Valley, has been excavated and repurposed into contempor...
View full detailsLions Paw 3x5mm Tube - 15-16 Inch
The lion's paw scallop is a species that consists of large scallop shells with ridges and bumps that have a rough texture. The shell is known for i...
View full detailsLabradorite 2x4mm Tube Beads - 15-16 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 detailsLapis 10x17mm Faceted Tube - 17-18 Inch
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...
View full detailsDalmation Jasper 2x4mm Tube - 15-16 Inch
Dalmation Jasper is the trade name for Dalmation Stone, which is not Jasper but rather a combination of Feldspar and Quartz. It is opaque, creamy w...
View full detailsLapis 2x4mm Tube Beads - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsPicture Jasper 2x4mm Tube - 15-16 Inch
Picture Jasper is a form of brown Jasper characterized by its unique banding and flow patterns created by petrified or silicate mud and occasional ...
View full detailsWhite Howlite 2x4mm Tube Beads - 15-16 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 2x4mm Tube - 15-16 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 detailsRoman Glass 5x8-8x20mm Tube Bangle Beads with Pendant - 16-17 Inch
Roman glass that has been turned into contemporary beads refers to ancient Roman glass artifacts (often shards or fragments) that are carefully sal...
View full detailsWampum Shell 4x14mm Tube - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsFluorite 8x16mm Faceted Tube - 17-18 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 to a...
View full detailsAncient Glass 4x6-6x16mm Brown Tube Bangle Beads - 16-17 Inch
Ancient glass from Pakistan, particularly from archaeological sites like those in the Swat Valley, has been excavated and repurposed into contempor...
View full detailsAncient Glass 4x6-6x16mm Multi Color Tube Bangle Beads - 15-16 Inch
Ancient glass from Pakistan, particularly from archaeological sites like those in the Swat Valley, has been excavated and repurposed into contempor...
View full detailsRose Quartz 2x4mm Tube - 15-16 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 detailsSodalite 2x4mm Tube - 15-16 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 detailsWampum Shell 5x10mm Tube Bead - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsLabradorite 9x10-20x25mm Faceted Irregular Tube - 18 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 detailsRuby and Sapphire 8x12mm Rough Tube A Grade - 15-16 Inch
Elisa Turquoise 6x8mm Tube - 15-16 Inch
This turquoise is mined from the Sonora mines in Mexico. Like all other natural turquoise, its coloring is the result of the chemical reaction that...
View full detailsSapphire Faceted Hexagon & Hex tubes 15-16 Inch
Sapphires are precious gemstones, but unlike rubies, they come in a rainbow of colors besides red! They are all varieties of the mineral corundum,...
View full detailsLions Paw 3x5mm Light Orange/White Tube - 15-16 Inch
The lion's paw scallop is a species that consists of large scallop shells with ridges and bumps that have a rough texture. The shell is known for i...
View full detailsMother of Pearl 3x5mm White Tube Bead - 15-16 Inch
Mother of Pearl, also known as Nacre, is an iridescent composite of organic and inorganic material most known for being the coating of pearls. It i...
View full detailsElisa Turquoise 3x6mm Tube - 15-16 Inch
This turquoise is mined from the Sonora mines in Mexico. Like all other natural turquoise, its coloring is the result of the chemical reaction that...
View full detailsSpiny Oyster 4x8mm Red Tube Bead - 15-16 Inch
Hubei Turquoise 2x4mm Rectangle Tube AAA Grade - 15-16 Inch
Hubei Turquoise is sourced from Hubei Province in Northern China, one of the most recognized turquoise-producing regions in the world. This materia...
View full detailsGold and Red Pietersite 6x13mm AAA Grade Tube - 17-18 Inch
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 detailsTourmaline 4x4-8mm Banded Faceted Tube - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsEmerald 8x5-7mm Tube A Grade - 15-16 Inch
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...
View full detailsSpiny Oyster 4x8mm Tube Bead - 15-16 Inch
About this cut
Frequently asked questions
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What is a tube bead?
A tube bead is a cylindrical bead — flat or slightly rounded on the ends, with straight or gently curved sides — drilled lengthwise through the long axis so the bead lies parallel to the stringing material. Tubes can be short and stubby (like a 2x4mm) or long and pencil-like (like a 5x8-8x20mm graduated tube). The cut is typically smooth-polished rather than faceted, and the geometry sits flush against neighbors on a strand, making it useful for clean linear designs and spacer runs. -
What sizes does Dakota stock in tube?
Dakota currently stocks tube beads across a wide size range. The most-stocked sizes are 4mm (cube-tube and short tube formats), 2mm (small spacer tubes), and 7x10mm (a workhorse mid-size). Also in stock: 2x4mm short tubes, 8mm, 4x8mm, 3x5mm, and graduated 5x8-8x20mm strands where the bead size steps up across the strand. Exact dimensions and drill hole size should be disclosed — confirm before buying if your finding or wire gauge is tight. -
What stones come in tube cut at Dakota?
Tube is currently stocked in labradorite, natural shell, turquoise, quartz, jasper, amazonite, rose quartz, lion's paw, prehnite, and pietersite, among others — 72 active products in total. Softer materials (shell, lion's paw) and harder silicates (quartz, jasper, amazonite) both cut well as tubes because the geometry doesn't require sharp facet work. Treatment varies by stone — stabilization is common on turquoise and some shell, so check the listing for the specific strand. -
What jewelry works best with tube beads?
Tubes shine in linear designs: bar necklaces, tennis-style bracelets, ladder earrings, and any layout where you want beads to sit flush end-to-end without rolling. Short tubes (2x4mm, 3x5mm) work as spacers between focal beads or as accent runs in mixed-media designs. Longer tubes (7x10mm, 4x8mm) carry as the primary element on simpler strung necklaces. The flat ends also pair cleanly with disc and heishi beads where you want a stacked architectural look. -
How do tubes differ from rondelles or cubes?
All three are non-spherical, but the drill direction and proportions differ. A rondelle is drilled through its short axis (the bead is wider than it is tall along the string). A tube is drilled through its long axis (the bead is longer than it is wide along the string). A cube is roughly equal on all sides. That means tubes give you visual length per bead — useful when you want to cover more strand with fewer beads — while rondelles give you density and cubes give you a blockier silhouette.