About Our Gemstones

We take great care to ensure that every product photograph is an accurate representation of the item for sale but please be aware that colour variations may occur on different monitors. Photographs are magnified to show as much detail as possible and are therefore not to scale so it is always best to check your sizes before purchasing.

All our gemstone descriptions are accurate to the very best of our knowledge with respect to type, size, shape, colour and clarity. In some cases the photographs may not show the exact gemstones that are for sale; however the photographs will always show gems which are very, very similar to those being sold.

If you would like a larger quantity of a particular gemstone/bead than we have in stock please do get in touch and we will do our very best to help.

Gemstone Beads

As a general rule, small gem-quality drilled stones will have small drill holes sizes. A 26 gauge (0.4mm) or 28 gauge (0.3mm) wire should fit most stones (we sell a range of suitable wires) although some beads, particularly commercial quality round beads, will have larger holes. We recommend using soft wire when wire wrapping to avoid the risk of breakages and particular care should be taken when working with delicate/brittle stones (eg apatite).

Strands of gemstone beads occur in many different qualities. There is no officially recognised grading system for beads so we use the following identifiers to better assist our customers when choosing beads:

• AAA: superior cut. Generally the beads are eye clean unless otherwise stated.
• AA+: excellent cut. A small number of inclusions may be present.
• AA: very good cut, may have some inclusions which will be clearly stated and photographed.
• Ungraded beads will be of commercial quality clearly described and photographed.

Any references to carat weight (ctw) are approximate and do not include the weight of any stringing materials. Sizes of beads and lengths of strands are also approximate.

Loose Gemstones

We do not grade our loose gemstones and they should be deemed "commercial" quality, unless otherwise stated.