Are you looking to give your handmade jewelry some added punch? An easy way to do so is to include some semi precious beads in your creations. These beads are a form of gemstone, an attractive mineral. They have been cut and polished for use in jewelry and other accessories. These items may also come in the form of organic materials or rocks and are still considered semi precious. Most tend to be hard, but you will come across the soft variety also. Although very similar to gemstones, they do fall into their own category.
What many do not realize is that semi precious beads may also include better known gems such as sapphires, diamonds and emeralds. When one thinks of this category though, the stones that most often come to mind include aquamarine and garnets as well as citrine. When the better known stones are sold as semi precious beads, they come in a wide variety of sizes. You may purchase tiny beads all the way up to beads of the 6mm size. This allows for a wide variety of uses.
What defines semi precious beads from gemstones is the quality of the stone. When you purchase a semi precious bead, most likely it will have been treated to either increase the stability or the color of the item. For example, most turquoise beads are stabilized through the use of a transparent resin. This is due to the fragility of the stone when it has been untreated. Other stones may undergo heat treatments or irradiation for color enhancement purposes. Keep this in mind when you go to choose beads appropriate for your project.
When choosing semi precious beads for a project, be sure to consider all varieties available to you. Although most may think of better known gems such as amethyst, jade and onyx, there are many others that aren’t as familiar. Check out moonstone, lemon and jasper along with sodalite, sun stone and quartz among others. The more you look around, the more choices you will see. You may even find new projects you want to complete to make use of these beautiful beads.