Semi Precious Stone Beads
Beads are small, decorative objects having a hole within them for piercing into it a thread or string. Beads can be practically made from any kind of material. Semiprecious stones are also used for making beads that are popular by different names such as
semi precious stone beads,
gemstone beads,
natural stone beads etc.
Types of Materials used for Semiprecious Stones Beads
There are two categories of materials used for making semi precious gemstone beads.
Natural Beads from Organic Materials- Semi precious stone beads that come from animal or plant based origin can be categorized as the type of gemstone beads made from organic materials. These include beads made from bone, coral, horn, ivory, seeds, animal shell etc.
Pearl beads were, since a few time ago, the ultimate precious beads of natural origin due to their rarity. Now the pearl-culturing process has made pearls very common beads. Some other examples of gemstone beads of natural organic origin include
Amber (fossilized resin from ancient pine trees) and jet, though both of these materials undergo partial geologic fossilization.
Natural Beads from Inorganic Materials- Semi precious stone beads that have pure mineral origin can be categorized as the type of gemstone beads made from inorganic materials. These include various types of stones ranging from gemstones to common mineral and metal beads. Some of the fine examples of such semiprecious stones beads include
Opal which is a gemstone of hydrated silica and thus a gemstone bead made from mineral. Example of natural metal beads is the popular
Turquoise Bead- a stone that is a hydrated aluminum copper phosphate and often contains iron.
The present day semi precious stone beads supplies, however, are processed to a large extent which is not only limited to shaping and drilling the natural stones for various
stone beads cut. The wholesale gemstone beads suppliers also make these semi precious stone beads more attractive through color enhancement via dyes or irradiation.
Types of Semi Precious Stones by Origin
Semi Precious Stone Jewelry
With the concept of types of materials used for semi precious stone beads, it is now clear that semi precious gemstone beads need not have the origin only from natural stone- they can also come from animals and plants (organic origin), minerals as well as natural metals. This chart will further explain the types of semi precious beads based on their origin.
| Beads with Mineral
Origin |
| Agate Beads |
Amethyst Beads |
Aquamarine Beads |
| Chrysoprase Beads |
Zircon Beads |
Diamond Beads |
| Emerald Beads |
Feldspar Beads |
Garnet Beads |
| Jade Beads |
Jasper Beads |
Lapis lazuli Beads |
| Opal Beads |
Quartz Beads |
Ruby Beads |
| Sapphire Beads |
Spinel Beads |
Tanzanite Beads |
| Topaz Beads |
|
|
| Beads with Metal
Origin |
| Crystal Beads |
Malachite Beads |
Obsidian Beads |
| Olivine Beads |
Olivine Beads |
Pyrite Beads |
| Turquoise Beads |
|
|
| Beads with Organic
Origin |
| Amber Beads |
Coral Beads |
Pearl Beads |
There are many other types of semi precious stone beads that are made from a combination of materials and can not be placed in any of the above category. One of such semiprecious gemstone beads are Cabochons or Cab Stones made from baltic amber, malachite, fire agate, dichroic glass and obsidian. Know about these semi precious beads
Cab Stones