Beaded jewelry is a classic and timeless accessory that women often wear as a sign of their femininity. May it be for personal adornment or for cultural purposes, these traditional inexpensive gemstones have been very influential to women around the world. Not only women, but men also wear jewelry and who doesn’t want to be fashionable? They used to wear beaded bracelets, necklaces, and rings. Beaded jewelry has been in trend for a long time.

 

Gemstones are traditionally made of glass, metal, wood, or plastic. Glass stones are the most popular because they can be made into any color you want and can make the piece look great.

 

In this article, we would tell you about some of the main types of gemstones that are used in making jewelry. Along with their uses, we would give their history which would help you get a better understanding of how they came into use.

Some Common Types Of Beads Are Used To Make Jewelry

Based on the shape

1. Round gems- These are mainly used for necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. They can also be used on clothing. The round-shaped gems are good in some styles of jewelry like the circular or cabochon brooch. They are available in different sizes.

2. Square gems - They are used in making bead charm bracelets, chandeliers, or other types of bead jewelry that use various styles. It is made by cutting the round and oval beads into squares. They are also available in different materials just like the round gems.

3. Flat gemstones- These are made of round or rectangle-shaped gems. It is often used for making bead earrings and necklaces. These can be made in different shapes, sizes, and colors.

4. Rondelle beads - These are made using different types of shapes such as hearts, flowers, balls, and triangles in many different colors.

5. Chip beads - As you can get from its name, these gems are shaped like a bite. It is used for decorating items like necklaces and bracelets when combined with other types of stones. These are used in making bead tassels, fringe, or chains.

Based on cost

1. Inexpensive gemstones- These types of stones are really affordable. It can be used for making beaded decorations, charms, and mala beads. Semi-precious stones are costly than the other types but less expensive compared to previous ones. They are made from different materials such as coral, jadeite, lapis lazuli, malachite, turquoise, amber, chalcedony, etc.

2. Expensive or precious gemstones- Natural gems are usually expensive and are precious. Most of them are used in making jewelry. The price of these gems is too high because they are found rare. They are found in the earth and extracted. Some other materials including shells, coral, horn, bone, ivory, or horn stone are also used to make these expensive gems.

Based on material

1. Glass beads - They are popularly used in making jewelry because they are cheap, durable, and can be shaped into any shape or size that you want. It can be found in different colors such as white, yellow, green, red, etc.

2. Metal beads - They are mostly made of gold and silver as well as copper-plated metals. They can be used to make decorative things such as necklaces or bracelets and sometimes also earrings for women. They are hypoallergenic and very durable.

3. Plastic beads - They are also used in making jewelry because they are cheap, comfortable to wear, and don’t cause allergy to the wearer’s skin. They are mostly made of six metals i.e. nickel, tin, iron, bronze, plastic, etc. as well as glass such as PVC and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

4. Gemstones made of wood - Beads are also made from wood which is called paua. They come in different shapes, colors, and sizes. The colors of these stones make the jewelry really beautiful. They are cheap and affordable for the people who want to buy them but they need good quality because they cannot be recycled.

Based on size

1. Large beads - They are mainly used to make chandeliers, beaded curtains, as well as large items like the bead skirts by women. They are also used for making different types of necklaces by men. They can be rectangular, heart-shaped, or round.

2. Small beads - They are used to make different types of jewelry such as necklaces and bracelets for everyone including women and men. They come in different colors and shapes such as round, diamond-shaped, or oval.

3. Beads with large holes - They are used in making different types of jewelry like necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

4. Beads with small holes - Small beads have been popularly used in making bead tassels as well as bead fringe for decorating different types of clothing and accessories such as belts, handbags, etc.

5. Spacer beads - They are made to have a larger hole than the stones with a small hole but smaller than the large ones. These are made for making bead chains. They are available in different shapes and colors.

Tips To Consider When Buying Beads

 

Few things you should keep in mind when buying jewelry are:

 

1. Affordability – Gemstones with different shapes, colors, and sizes are now available in all price ranges. Make sure your budget can handle it before buying certain types.

Those made of glass or other materials which are hypoallergenic can help you avoid allergies especially if they are used for frequent use.

2. Reliability - Choose pearls that are well known and can be trusted by many people.

3. Variety – Make sure to select a variety of bead types to ensure durability.

4. Durability – Choose stones made of durable materials that can withstand long-term use such as glass, metal, plastic, and rock types so they won’t easily break when scratched or tangled with other objects.

We at Dream Of Stones have a wide collection of flat gemstones, inexpensive gemstones, etc. You can also find several choices in different types of gemstones, including glass, metal, plastic, etc., at reasonable prices from our online store. You can buy different types of gemstones in different colors. For more details, you can visit our website online or contact us at DreamOfStones.com.