Semi-precious Beads for Jewellery Making

Making jewellery with beads is a rewarding and enjoyable hobby. Semi-precious beads are an ideal medium to work with in order to produce a special, meaningful and long lasting jewellery design. There are many different types of gemstone bead but those most popular for jewellery making are listed below. Read on for details of the properties, appearance and how best to use these special beads when making a necklace, earrings or bracelet.

Agate Beads

Agate beads tend to be available in red and black, and often display stunning banded markings in white. Yellow and green agate are found less frequently but are hugely popular due to their vibrant colouring. Agate is ideal for making striking pieces and is often available in larger bead sizes which make fabulous feature beads for necklaces. Try using black and red agate together for a stunning contrast. Make sure banded beads stand out by stringing them with plain beads.

Amethyst Beads

Amethyst makes beautiful beads which vary in shades of purple. A-grade amethyst beads are top quality, displaying a beautiful clarity and an even colouring. Lower grade amethyst beads may display some cloudiness and natural inclusions.

A great stone for jewellery making, amethyst is often available in various sizes of round beads, gem chips, tumbled nuggets and faceted beads. These beads look fabulous simply spaced with small silver spacer beads. Swarovski crystal beads are available in an amethyst shade which adds real glamour to your amethyst jewellery designs. Contrast these purple beads with greens to make more vibrant jewellery.

 Fluorite Beads

Fluorite is a popular gemstone that is usually green and purple in colour. Colouring can be dark or pale, and each bead can vary individually.

Fluorite pendants are such a  popular item for jewellery making. These can be matched with fluorite beads, hung on a simple chain for an effective yet simple design or matched with a stone that brings out the purple or green colouring in the pendant. It is best to try not to overpower the natural beauty of fluorite as it can be subtle.

Jasper Beads

Jasper beads and pendants vary widely in colour and appearance. However, in general jasper is recognised by its beautiful and intricate patterning. Types of jasper such as picasso jasper have such unusual markings they look as though they have been painted.

When making jewellery with jasper beads or pendants it is best to match with a plain coloured stone, silver or gold bead as anything too busy will fight with the gorgeous patterns in the jasper.

Quartz Beads

Quartz is also known as crystal as it is clear in appearance. Clear quartz beads are useful to space between brighter or more patterned beads as they won't fight against them in a jewellery design. Faceted quartz beads catch the light beautifully.

Another popular type of quartz is rose quartz. Soft, pale pink in colour, rose quartz is a very romantic stone. Using rose quartz with silver beads creates jewellery that is beautifully simple and sophisticated.

Using semi-precious beads to make jewellery is a fantastic way to make a personal gift for a loved one. They can even be used to make keyrings, handbag charms, mobile pohone charms and more. If you haven't already started making jewellery and accessories with semi-precious beads then I recommend you have a go!