The following is a list of the most common semiprecious stones used for beads with a brief description and photo.
Agate
Amazonite
Amethyst
Aventurine
Citrine
Coral
Garnet
Jasper
Lapis Lazuli
Malachite
Moonstone
Obsidian
Tigereye
Topaz
Tourmaline
Turquoise
Physical
properties of agate are in general those of quartz. Agate has
irregular, sometimes circular bands of color. Agates are identical
in chemical structure to jasper, flint, chert, bloodstone, and tiger-eye,
and are often found in association with opal.
The colorful, banded rocks are often used as semiprecious gemstone
beads. There are several types of agate. Varieties include Blue
Agate, Blue Lace Agate, Crazy Lace Agate, Green Agate, Indian Agate, Moss
Agate, Tree Agate and Wood Agate. The Moss agate or mocha stone contains
visible impurities in the form that resemble moss.
Amazonite is a gemstone variety of green microcline, a feldspar mineral. It is usually opaque.
Amethyst is the most valuable transparent, coarse-grained variety of quartz that is valued as a semiprecious gem for its violet color. It contains more iron oxide than any other variety of quartz, and experts believe that its color arises from its iron content.
Aventurine is a soft green semi-translucent to mostly opaque stone with mica flecks. Aventurine also comes in silvery, yellow, reddish brown, greenish-brown, bluish green and orange. It contains inclusions of small crystals that reflect light and give a range of colors.
Citrine is a beautiful translucent yellow gemstone. Natural citrine is rare compared to amethyst or smoky quartz.
Coral is the skeletal material of calcium carbonate, built up by small animals that live in colonies in the sea. Coral is usually branchlike and occurs in a variety of colors, of which the most sought after are rose red to red.
Garnet comes in a virtual rainbow of colors, including pink, red, purple, orange, yellow, violet, green, colorless, occasionally black, brown and many shades of red and green. The most common color of garnets is reddish brown.
Jasper exhibits various colors, but chiefly brick red to brownish red. Jasper, long used for jewelry and ornamentation, has a dull luster but takes a fine polish. Its hardness and other physical properties are those of quartz.
Lapis Lazuli occurs in various shades of blue with some qualities being speckled with white calcite and some with yellow pyrite. The finest Lapis Lazuli is even blue color with little or no veining from other elements.
Malachite is an opaque, banded stone, the colors in the bands range from a very light green to almost deep green.
Moonstones come in a variety of colors, ranging from colorless to white, gray, brown, yellow, orange, green, or pink. Clarity ranges from transparent to translucent.
Obsidian is a natural glass of volcanic origin that is formed by the rapid cooling of viscous lava. Obsidian is usually black - other colors include brown, gray, red, blue and green, clear, orange and yellow.
Tigereye is quartz that contains oriented fibers of crocidolite that have been replaced by silica. Tigereye typically has lustrous alternating yellow or brown bands.
Pure topaz is
colorless, but it also occurs in a broad range of colors: yellow, blue,
pink, peach, gold, green, red, and brown.
Tourmaline comes in many colors such as blue, yellow, pink, red, black, green and clear. Green is from iron, chromium and vanadium, pink from manganese. Some crystals are pink at one end and green at the other.
The color of turquoise ranges from sky blue through various shades of green to greenish and yellowish gray. Turquoise is opaque and has a faintly waxy luster.
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