Beadworks offers gemstones beads and semi-precious stones from around the world in a dizzying array of colors, shapes and styles. We want to share our love and knowledge of these wonderful gemstones here in our Guide to Gemstone Beads. Learn about the difference between Madagascar Garnet and Phodolite Garnet or discover something entirely new. If you have any knowledge to contribute, we would love to hear from you - Contact Us.
Love the Labradorite at left? It is a plagioclase mineral in the Feldspar family, first discovered in 1770 on Paul's Island, just off the coast of Labrador, Canada. Learn about Labradorite ...

This cloudy, translucent stone typically ranges in color from a pale, citrusy yellow to dark and grassy green. First discovered in Germany in 1789, it has a Moh's hardness of 6-6.5, making it a sturdy gemstone that lends itself to many shapes of beads. Learn more ...

Apatite originates from the Greek word for "cheat" which is an unfair name for such a beautiful stone. Apatite is barely a 5 on the Moh's hardness scale and is therefore very delicate and hard to facet. In bead form, Apatite tends to have very small holes for this reason and should not be paired with large, hard stones due to the high risk of fracture. Learn more about Apatite ...

Many beaders consider the metaphysical and healing properties of gemstones when designing their jewelry. Crystal Quartz is said to impart its wearer with clarity while dispelling negative energy. Today, Crystal Quartz is most associated with the crown charka for its ability to clear the mind and promote balance. It is also a substitute for April's traditional birthstone, Diamonds.
| Mahogany Obsidian | Malachite | Mica | Moissanite | Moldavite (Tektite) |
| Moonstone | Morganite (Beryl) | Moss Agate | Moss Aquamarine | Mother of Pearl |
| Moukaite | Mystic Topaz |
| Padparadscha (Sapphire) | Palm Wood | Peridot | Peruvian Opal | Picture Jasper |
| Pietersite | Pink Tourmaline | Prehnite | Pyrite | Pyrope Garnet |
| Rhodochrosite | Rhodolite Garnet | Rhodonite | Rose de France Amethyst (Quartz) | Ruby (Corundum) |
| Ruby Ziosite | Rutilated Quartz |
| African Turquoise is not turquoise at all, rather it is a type of jasper found in Africa that is often dyed to achieve a turquoise-like appearance. It's matrix resembles that of turquoise making it a natural imitation. | |
| African Jade | Originating in the heart of South Africa, African Jade can be green, white, or pink in color. African Jade is, in fact, not jade at all but a Grossular Garnet gemstone. African Jade is carved into pebble gemstone beads; drop beads, capsule beads, nuggets, ovals, cubes, and tubes. |
Agate![]() |
With concentric rings of color similar to rings in a tree trunk, agate is a common gemstone, with different colors including yellow, pink, blue, green, red, brown, grey, and black. Agate was first mined in Idar-Oberstein, Germany known for its fine agate carving. A form of Chalcedony, Agate gemstones are a broad category whose named varieties include Moss Agate, Blue Lace Agate, Crazy Lace Agate, Botswana Agate and Banded Agate. Agate is the birthstone for zodiac sign Gemini. Shop Agates |
| Alexandrite (Chrysoberyl) | Famous for changing color in different light, Alexandrite can be red under a candle and blue in fluorescent light. Named in honor of Czar Alexander II, Alexandrite is a gemstone found all over Russia, Brazil, Burma, Ceylon, and Rhodesia. It is unusual to find Alexandrite as a gemstone bead since most are used in set jewelry. |
| Almandite (Garnet) | The most popular type of Garnet, Almandite varies in shades of deep red to reddish-brown in color, tinged with violet. A large crystal gemstone, Almandite has been mined since ancient times. |
Amazonite![]() |
Iridescent in nature, Amazonite is a spectacular gemstone of remarkable beauty, ranging from green to blue-green in color. Native to Russia, USA, Australia, and Africa, amazonite is set often as a cabachon without facets. Amazonite is a member of the feldspars group of minerals and is is one of the birthstones associated with the month of December and the zodiac sign Virgo. |
American Blue Topaz![]() |
Found all over the U.S. and in Brazil, American Blue Topaz is a brilliant blue gemstone that is irradiated to produce an intensely vivid blue. One of the most popular blue stones in the U.S., this gemstone is most often wrought into fine earrings. |
| Amethyst (Quartz) |
Usually purple in color, amethysts can range in color from lavender to green. Worn among the Greeks during the Classical Era, amethysts have long been considered gorgeous gems of the wealthy and erudite. Darker amethysts are valued more. Amethysts are gemstones that are frequently made into bracelets, earrings, and pendants. |
| Ametrine | Ranging in color from a slight purple to orange and yellow, ametrine is a gemstone mixture of both Amethyst and Citrine. A variety of quartz, Ametrine is mined at the Anahi Mine in Bolivia and is most often cut in a rectangular shape with a checkerboard pattern of facets. |
| Ammolite | more to come |
| Andalusite | Named after Andalusia, Spain where it was first discovered, Andalusite is pleochroic, with pleasing shades of yellow, brown, orange and red all interspersed with each other. Inexpensive and colorful, Andalusite is a gemstone that is often cut in rectangular or square shapes. |
| Andradite Grossular (Garnet) | A garnet ranging in color from yellowish green to black in color, andradite grossular is a garnet gemstone rich in calcium, found deep within the earth’s igneous rock layer with several subcategories such as topazolite, demantoid, and melantite, all of which are highly prized for their beauty and color. |
| Apatite | Apatite comes in many colors ranging from clear to green, yellow, blue, yellow-green and violet. The yellow-green apatite is also known as asparagus stone. Due to its soft and fragile quality, apatite should be treated gently when creating jewelry. |
| Aquamarine (Beryl) | Transparent and blue to sea-green in color, aquamarine is highly valued for its unusual color. Often large and faceted, aquamarines are abundant in Brazil. |
| Aventurine (Quartz) | Found in India, Russia, and Tanzania, aventurine is reddish brown, yellow, gray or green in color, with a sparkling quality. A kind of quartz gemstone, aventurine has small quantities of mica and iron called inclusions which when cut in a round or flat shape, sparkles brightly. |
| Azurite | Deep blue in color, Azurite is a popular gemstone in jewelry because of its brilliant color, abundance all over the world from the southwestern regions of the U.S. to Morocco and Europe, Azurite is copper-based and often coated with a wax and used frequently to dye fabrics and paints. |
| Azurite-Malachite | Frequently used together and occurring in nature together, Azurite and Malachite are both copper-based gemstones that create beautiful patterns. Carved into jewelry such as earrings, pins, pendants, and necklaces, Azurite-Malachite are found all over the southwestern parts of U.S., Australia, France, Africa, and Chile. |
Emeralds are precious green gemstones from the family of beryl gemstones. Emeralds are frequently irradiated to remove impurities and flaws. Emeralds have perfect, hexagonal crystals. |
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| Feldspar | - Coming Soon! |
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Fire Agate |
Fire Agate is a form of Agate that only become commercially available in the last 60 years. Fire agate is a brown agate which has a botryoidal or grape-like growth form. The 'fire' comes from layers of plate-like crystals of iron oxide (limonite) in various planes. Fire Agate is found mainly in the southwestern USA and Mexico. |
| Fire Opal | - Coming Soon! |
| Fluorite | Fluorite gemstones range in color from colorless to red, pink, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, and even multi-colored gemstones. Transparent or translucent in nature, fluorite is often fluorescent and is found all over the world. |
| Fool’s Gold (Pyrite) | Fool's gold is a common term for the gemstone Pyrite. Resembling gold, Fool’s Gold/Pyrite is shiny and metallic but actually composed of iron. Pyrite is the gemstone set into Macrasite beads and jewelry. |
| Fucsite | Fuchsite is a gemstone of deep green beauty, similar to an emerald. Relatively soft, fucsite is rich in chromium and has a glassy luster. Fucsite is often carved into pendants and set as stones for rings. |
| Garnet | Garnets are semi-precious gemstones composed primarily of silicon, ranging in color from red to green. Garnet gemstones include pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular, carbuncle stone, uvarovite, and andradite. |
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| Gaspeite | - Coming Soon! |
| Goldstone | - Coming Soon! |
| Green Amethyst | - Coming Soon! |
| Green Kyanite | - Coming Soon! |
| Green Tourmalated Quartz | - Coming Soon! |
| Grossular Garnet | Grossular garnet is a kind of garnet that is rich in calcium, aluminium, and silica. The grossular garnet gemstone family includes Hessonite, cinnamon stone, Transvaal jade, landerite, rosolite, Tsavorite, and xalostocite. . |
| Hematite | Hematite or Kidney Ore, is opaque and blue-black to silvery gray in color, composed of iron oxide and when powdered leaves rust-red streaks. Found in England, North America, Mexico, Brazil, and Australia, Hematite is a very common mineral that is harder than pure iron, but much more brittle. The name Hematite is derived from the Greek word for blood because occasionally Hematite can be red. Hematite is very heavy for its size. |
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| Howlite | - Coming Soon! |
| Imperial Topaz | - Coming Soon! |
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| Indicolite (Tourmaline) | Indicolite ranges in color from green to blue-green. A variety of tourmaline, indicolite is carved into pendant gemstones and also in bracelets frequently. |
| Jade | Discreet and delicate, jade is a smooth green stone of remarkable beauty that has been crafted into necklaces, earring, rings, bracelets, brooches, and statues and valued across continents and cultures for centuries. Jade comes in numerous shades such as dark to emerald green and to even white and yellow undertones with lavender; and varying textures, and levels of transparency and luminance. |
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| Jasper (Chalcedony) | Jasper is a frequently occurring semi-precious gemstone that has a wide range of colors including white, yellow, red, green, and brown. Found all over the world, jasper also has other characteristics and markings such as stripes and speckles. A quartz from the chalcedony family, jasper is sometimes called swiss lapis. Jasper subvarieties |
| Jet | - Coming Soon! |
| Kunzite (Spodumene) | Kunzite is a gemstone that resembles quartz that is pink, light pink or light purple in color. Transparent and translucent, kunzite can fade with exposure to light for a long period. Kunzite is hence called evening stone. |
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| Kyanite | Kyanite is a gemstone with streaky patterns, ranging in color from deep sapphire blues to green, gray, and even white. Found in Brazil, Burma, Kenya, Europe, India, Australia, Kenya, and the USA, kyanite is a beautiful gemstone. |
| Labradorite | |
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| Lapis Lazuli | Lapis lazuli is a semi-precious gemstone of great popularity since ancient times for its rich blue opaque coloring. Often dyed to accentuate its color, Lapis Lazuli scratches easily and hence is coated for protection. Lapis Lazuli occurs all over the world in different gradients and qualities. |
| Larimar | Larimar is a kind of pectolite found in the Dominican Republic. Often possessing red and brown streaks, larimar is an opaque blue gemstone that has distinct white streaks, popular as bracelets, rings, and earrings. |
| London Blue Topaz | London blue topaz is famous for its dark blue color, a rare phenomenon. The darkest naturally occurring variety of topaz, London Blue Topaz is a gemstone found in Russia, Africa, Brazil, U.S., Myanmar, Australia, and other regions of the world. Highly valued for its color, London Blue Topaz is most popular as pendants. |
| Mahogany Obsidian | Mahogany Obsidian or Apache tears is a glassy, shiny mineral that is brown in color. Formed by the cooling of volcanic lava, Mahogany Obsidian is a large gemstone composed primarily of silica. |
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| Malachite | Malachite is a beautiful gemstone composed primarily of copper, used for decoration by Egyptians centuries ago. Usually cabuchon set in silver, malachite is opaque, semi-precious, and ranges in color from deep shades of green to lighter green and is often coated with wax or oil to increase strength. |
| Mica | - Coming Soon! |
| Moissanite | - Coming Soon! |
| Moldavite (Tektite) | Moldavite is a rare gemstone made up of tektite, a mineral formed by the impact of a meteorite on the earth. Found only in Bohemia, moldavite is glassy, dark green in color, and translucent. Used in jewelry and for religious ceremonies, moldavite sometimes has gas bubbles and iron and nickel spheres. |
| Moonstone | Moonstone is a white and blue, semi-translucent gemstone that is usually set as a cabuchon. Ranging in color from white-blue to yellow, orange, gray, and even red, moonstone is a very popular stone for Art Nouveau jewelry. The moonstone family includes adularia, oligoclse, labradorite, and albite. |
| Morganite (Beryl) | Morganite is a type of beryl stone, that can be transparent to translucent in nature, containing some manganese, with poor cleavage that can be brittle and is often heat treated. Found in Mozambique, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, parts of the U.S., Brazil, Italy, and other areas, morganite is a gemstone that is generally pink in color and is named after J. Pierpoint Morgan, an American gem collector. |
| Moss Agate | Moss agate is a green kind of agate that has beautiful patterns because of its dendritic or tree-like inclusions of red, green, or black hornblende. Found in India, moss agate is very popular as large pendants, rings, and in clothing. |
| Moss Aquamarine | - Coming Soon! |
| Mother of Pearl | - Coming Soon! |
| Moukaite | - Coming Soon! |
| Mystic Topaz | Mystic topaz or rainbow topaz is a type of topaz that is treated through a process called vacuum deposition to enhance color. With color streaks that are red, green, and violet, mystic topaz is a fiery, bright, and colorful gemstone. |
| Nephrite (Jade) | Nephrite is a semi-precious gemstone that is also called greenstone. A variety of jade, nephrite is softer than jadeite. Popular in carvings and for making gorgeous ceramics, nephrite has an earthy yet distinguished look. |
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| Opal | Opal is a semi-precious stone that is luminous, iridescent, and composed of non-crystalline silica. A kind of quartz, opal has a large water content and require gentle care and maintenance. There are three kinds of opals, the common opal, the opalescent precious opal, and the fire opal. Opals are found all over the world, most often in Australia, Kenya, Czechoslovakia, Brazil, Peru, Honduras, Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. |
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| Padparadscha (Sapphire) | Padparadscha sapphires are a rare form of gemstones that come from Sri Lanka. Heat-treated to saturate color, padparadscha sapphires mean ‘lotus flower’ sapphires in Sinhalese. Pink to orange in color, these gemstones are of remarkable beauty. The color is so unique that Swarovski and other bead makers have been inspired to create crystals and other beads in the same shade. |
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| Palm Wood | - Coming Soon! |
| Peridot | Peridot is a semi-precious stone also known as evening emerald or chyrsolite. Yellow-green in color, peridots can have an oily luster and hve numerous facets. Exhibiting double refraction, peridots come from the volcanic island in the Red Sea known as the Serpent Isle or St. John. Peridots have also been found in meteorites. |
| Peruvian Opal | - Coming Soon! |
| Picture Jasper | – Coming Soon! |
| Pietersite- | - Coming Soon! |
| Pink Tourmaline | - Coming Soon! |
| Prehnite | - Coming Soon! |
| Pyrite | - Coming Soon! |
| Pyrope Garnet | Pyrope garnet is the popular and common form of garnet, the birthstone for the month of January. Also known by many names such as American Ruby, Cape Ruby, Australian Ruby and Bohemian Ruby among others, pyrope garnet is a semi-precious gemstone that is carved into all kinds of jewelry such as bracelets, brooches, pendants, earrings, and pins. |
| Quartz | Quartz is a kind of crystalline mineral that is found worldwide and occurs in many different forms such as rose quartz, aventurine, citrine, opal, rock crystal, tiger’s eye and others. Each kind of quartz has its own distinct color, shape, pecularities, inclusions, and hardiness. Quartz is a gemstone of remarkable beauty. |
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| Rhodochrosite | Rhodochrosite is a soft gemstone carved into jewelry and figurines that ranges in color from rose to pink to yellow and brown. Found in Argentina, Peru, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, Russia, Italy, USA (Colorado and Montana), and Romania, rhodochrosite is alluring because of its soft coloring. |
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| Rhodolite Garnet | Rhodolite or rose stone is a kind of garnet and a combination of almandine and pyrope. Found in the US, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Sri Lanka, rhodolite garnet is a purple-red to pink-red variety of garnet. |
| Rhodonite | - Coming Soon! |
| Rose de France Amethyst (Quartz) | Rose de France is a pale or lavender kind of amethyst found worldwide. A kind of quartz, Rose de France amethyst is a semi-precious gemstone that is often heat-treated to remove smokiness and to lighten the color. |
| Ruby (Corundum) | Rubies are precious stones that are found in Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United States, and Zimbabwe. Durable, hard and large, rubies range in color from their classical deep red hue to pink, purple, and brown in color. Rubies are expensive and highly valued for their beauty |
| Ruby Ziosite | - Coming Soon! |
| Rutilated Quartz | Rutilated quartz is a kind of rock crystal with titanium dioxide crystals. Rutilated quartz is a beautiful gemstone also known as Fleches d’amour, Venus Hair Stone or Cupid’s darts. |
| Sapphire (Corundum) | Sapphire is a precious gemstone that is related to the ruby, ranging in color from blue to pink, yellow, green, white, purple, and pink-orange. Star sapphires sometimes possess six-sided asterisms. Sapphires are highly valued and expensive. |
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| Sardonyx (Chalcedony) | Sardonyx is a semi-precious gemstone that is a kind of quartz and is in the chalcedony family of quartz. Frequently set as cameos and seals, sardonyx is made up of two layers, a reddish brown layer of sard and a gray or brown layer of onyx. |
| Sleeping Beauty Turquoise | |
| Snowflake Obsidian | Snowflake Obsidian or flowering obsidian is a volcanic glass that is glassy and lustrous in nature, found near lava flows. This gemstone is particular large and is composed of primarily silica and can be black or brown with white ‘snowflake’ patterns. |
| Sodalite | Sodalite is a dark blue mineral used in carvings and jewelry. Lapis Lazuli is composed of part sodalite. Often possessing streaks of white, green, pink, or gray, sodalite is found in Brazil, Canada, India, Italy, Namibia, United States, and Russia. |
| Spectrolite (Labradorite) | Spectrolite or Finnish Labradorite is a gray mineral gemstone with bright flashes of green, blue, orange, and red color and is a variety of plagioclase feldspar with transparent to translucent crystals. |
| Spessartine Garnet | Spessartine garnet or Spessartite garnet is a rare gemstone that is reddish orange to brownish orange in color and either transparent or translucent in nature. Found in Sri Lanka, Australia, Madagascar, Brazil, Sweden, Myanmar, and the U.S. |
| Sphene (Titanite) | Sphene or titanite is a mineral that is rarely used as a gem because of its soft nature. Often possessing a white streak, sphene is a gemstone that comes in green, yellow, white, brown or black crystals in the shape of a wedge. |
| Spinel | Spinel is a hard semi-precious gemstone ranging in color from red to black to yellow, similar to rubies. Composed of iron and chrome, spinel is made up of octahedral crystals and is found in Burma, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Spinel varieties include Balas ruby, Almandine spinel, Rubicelle, Sapphire spinel, Ghanospinel, and Chlorspinel. |
| Suglite | Sugilite is a semi-precious gemstone that is medium to dark purple in color, opaque, and has a waxy luster, pink, brown, and white inclusions, and is very large. Found in Japan, Canada and in large quantities in South Africa, sugilite is not faceted and is usually polished. |
| Sunstone (Oligoclase) | Sunstone is a brilliant gemstone that can be golden, orange, reddish brown and translucent in nature with a metallic sheen. Also called aventurine feldspar, sunstone has sparkling red, orange and green crystalline and is found in Canada, the U.S., India, Norway, and Russia. |
| Swiss Blue Topaz | - Coming Soon! |
| Tanzanite | Tanzanite was first found near Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. Possessing a distinct blue-violet color, tanzanite is transparent and similar to sapphires. A beautiful gemstone, tanzanite is a birthstone for the month of December. |
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| Tiger’s Eye (Quartz) | Tiger's eye is a type of yellow-brown and red-brown gemstone that is usually highly polished and set as a cabuchon. Light reflects in the stone in thin bands. This effect is called chatoyancy. Tiger’s eye occurs most frequently in South Africa and also in Australia, India, Sri Lanka, and the U.S. and is famous for its silky quality, luster, remarkable light reflections, and distinct coloring. |
| Tourmaline | Tourmaline has the greatest color range of any gemstone, with pinks, greens, reds, purples, blues, blacks, and colorless gemstones. Tourmaline is a dichroic gemstone, that is both elongate and three-sided, as well as being doubly refractive similar to peridots. Tourmaline is found in Brazil, Russia, western U.S., and Sri Lanka. |
| Tsavorite Garnet | Tsavorite is a rare grossular garnet gemstone that has a beautiful, deep emerald-like green color. Very rare in nature, durable, with a high refractive index, tsavorite is found in East Africa. |
| Tundra 'Sapphire' | |
| Turquoise | Turquoise is found primarily in Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and the area formerly known as Persia. Porous and semi-precious, turquise is a gemstone that is cut most often as a cabuchon. Turquoise is found in desert areas all over the world and is a popular gemstone for all kinds of jewelry. |
| Umba Sapphire | - Coming Soon! |
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| Unakite | Unakite hails from the Unaka Mountains of Tennessee, U.S. Also found in Africa, unakite is opaque, green and hard, with red and pink patches. A gemstone that contains both green epidote and pink feldspar, unakite is a kind of granite. |
| Variscite | Variscite is found in the U.S., Germany, Australia, and Brazil. A rare gemstone that is green with blue and yellow hues, similar to turquoise and other stones, variscite is translucent and hard. |
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| Vesuvianite | - Coming Soon! |
| Watermelon Tourmaline | -Watermelon tourmaline is a colorful, beautiful tourmaline gemstone in contains both the pink and green color in a single stone hence it's namesake resemblance. |
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| Zebra Dolomite | - Coming Soon! |
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| Zircon | Zircon is a bright gemstone that can range in color from brown to red, violet, and blue. Often heat-treated to enhance color, zircon is composed primarily of zircon silicate and is lustrous in nature. |
| Zoisite | Zoisite is a grayish green gemstone found within igneous rock that is composed primarily of calcium, aluminium, and silica. Discovered in the last century, zoisite occurs in nature in three derivatives; anyolite, tanzanite, and thulite. |
Gemstone Beads Can be Shopped in Many Ways |
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