Semi-Precious Beads

Semi-precious gemstones and beads are mainly made up from pieces of natural minerals which have a lower commercial value than rare and costly gems like diamonds and rubies etc. There are exceptions such as Amber or Jet which are considered to be semi-precious but are not actually minerals. Most mineral gemstone beads are hard where as organic gemstone beads are soft such as Jet, Pearl, Coral and Amber (which is formed from fossilised tree resin). Semi-precious gemstones are often treated to bring out and often enhance the remarkable natural coloured within the rocks. They are then cut and polished to form many different shapes and sizes with both smooth and faceted surfaces. The finished gemstone shapes and beads are used extensively in the jewellery industries throughout the world because of their high aesthetic value. All of our Gemstone stock is being sold off and has been reduced for clearance, the stock will not be replenished once gone and are only shipped to the UK.

African Jade Beads

African Jade Round Beads Semi-Precious gemstones
Amber Beads

Semi-Precious - Amber Round Beads Amber is a yellow-orange brown colour and although thought of as a semi-precious gemstone its not actually derived from a mineral but fossilised from the ancient resin from trees. Like pearls amber is an organic gemstone that’s formed from a biological process and has taken millions of years to form. The resin produced by the trees is a strong scented sticky resin that would collect bits of bark, seeds and insects as it ran down the tree trunk. As the resin aged it became harder and darker and formed the amber we know today. Most commercial Amber comes form either the Baltic’s or the Dominican Republic.
Aventurine Beads

Semi-Precious - Aventurine Round Beads Aventurine is a type of quartz that forms when quartz is subjected to intense heat and pressure which causes the rock to melt and combine with other minerals. When the rock becomes a solid state again the presence of the additional minerals gives the stone a shimmering or glistening effect. The most common colour of Aventurine is green but it can also be found in yellow, orange, blue, gray or brown.
Black Agate Beads

Black Agate Round Beads Semi-Precious gemstones
Black Banded Agate Beads

Semi-Precious - Black Banded Agate Round Beads
Black Rutilated Quartz Beads

Black Rutilated Quartz Round Beads Semi-Precious gemstones
Blue Goldstone Beads

Goldstone is a man made in India from a glass like substance with tiny flecks of copper included to give it that sparkling effect. It’s often used along with semi-precious gemstones for making various items of jewellery.
Brecciated Jasper Beads

Brecciated Jasper
Brown Goldstone Beads

Goldstone is a man made in India from a glass like substance with tiny flecks of copper included to give it that sparkling effect. It’s often used along with semi-precious gemstones for making various items of jewellery.
Dragon Vein Agate Beads

Dragon Vein Agate Round Beads Semi-Precious gemstones
Dalmation Jasper beads

Dalmation jasper is a warm light brown to creamy beige coloured jasper with black speckles and mottled patches of brown/orange.
Hematite Beads

Semi-Precious - Hematite Round Beads Haematite also spelt Hematite is a form of iron oxide that is usually a silver grey or black/steel colour. Its metallic appearance is brought bout when the material is polished, if it were to be ground or cut up it would look red or red brown much like the colour of rust. Hematite gets its name from the Greek word "haima" which means blood. It’s usually found as non magnetic, but if heated to a high enough temperature the material will develop weak magnetic properties.
Imperial Jasper

Imperial jasper comes in many varieties each with beautiful patterns running throughout the semi precious gemstone.
Leopard Skin Agate Beads

Semi-Precious - Leopard Skin Agate Round Beads
Mica Quartz Beads

Mica Quartz semi precious gemstone beads.
Mother of Pearl Beads

Semi-Precious - Mother of Pearl Round Beads
Natural Agate Beads

Natural Agate Round Beads Semi-Precious gemstones
Snowflake Obsidian Beads

Obsidian is a formed from volcanic lava that is cooled very quickly before a crystal structure can form, hence making the naturally occurring rock like glass. Pure Obsidian is usually black in appearance. Snowflake Obsidian is formed where white and grey feldspar crystal inclusions form crystals within the glass like Obsidian to form beautiful snowflake patterns within. Snowflake Obsidian can be found in many parts of the world including Scotland, Italy, Iceland, Hawaii and the USA.
Spiderweb Jasper Beads

Spiderweb Jasper Round Beads Semi-Precious gemstones
Tiger Eye Beads

Semi-Precious - Tiger Eye Round Beads
Turquoise Beads

Semi-Precious - Chinese Turquoise Round Beads Turquoise is one of the most widely recognised semi-precious gemstones with a history that dates back to before 3000BC, where it was mined and used in the jewellery worn by the Pharaohs. Turquoise is an opaque mineral that ranges in colour from sky blue to green, the most valuable turquoise being the beautiful blue shades. The differing colours of turquoise are caused by the presence of metals when the gemstone is forming, the blue colour is caused by the presence of copper, while the green colour is caused by iron or chromium being present in the soil.
Wood Grain Stone Beads

Wood Grain Stone Round Beads Semi-Precious gemstones