Working With Natural Beads
By Sonia Holt

Nature gave us some of the most beautiful beading stock to work with, but too often we overlook it for man-made creations. All beads are beautiful, but natural beads have a special beauty and mystery.

Perhaps one reason more of us don't use natural beads is that we usually think of natural pearls, diamonds, rubies or emeralds. These, while they are gorgeous, can also be a little pricey. So, we stay away. Certainly, most of us can't afford precious stones for our jewelry projects.

But there is a whole world of semi-precious stones out there! While they are beautiful and often very elegant, they are much less expensive than their precious cousins. The key is to explore the color options available and chose stones to match and enhance your piece.

Let's take a look at some of the options. Some of the more common semi-precious stones include the following: Amethyst, agate, carnelian, turquoise, alexandrite, lapis lazuli, lemon jade and serpentine, obsidian, quartz, amazonite, moonstone, tigereye, garnets, amber, citrine, topaz, aquamarine, jasper, aventurine, azurite, fluorite, hematite, labradorite, tourmaline, onyx, malachite, sardonyx, morgonite, aragonite, coral, goldstone and howlite. Whew! What a list. I won't drag you through all of them, but some are more common or more fun.

One of my favorites is the quartz family, which includes clear quartz crystals (may have some shades of brown or other colors, depending upon potential impurities), rose quartz (a nice pink color) and amethyst, which is purple or lavender depending on the amount of impurity). Small crystals and chips can be obtained at most bead stores. They are a beautiful addition to earrings, bracelets and necklaces.

Garnets are another favorite. Garnets are normally thought of as a deep red stone, but in addition, garnets come in yellow, browns and green. The green variety is better known as peridot.

There are also several forms of agates. A plain agate is usually clear, but you may also find it in blues and purples. Just know that agate can be died and these blue and purple varieties are common died colors. There's nothing wrong with these (some are very pretty); just know that they are not colors natural to agate. In addition, jasper is a close relative which is usually a brown color. "Moss agate," another variety, contains mineral inclusions which create a "moss" pattern inside the stone. Finally, carnelian is a deep red form and is usually more valuable than some of the other agate forms.

Azurite and malachite are copper minerals and usually provide vivid greens (malachite) and blues (azurite). While both are gorgeous, they deserve a bit more care as they are not quite as hard as the quartz and agate groups, for example. Hematite, on the other hand, polishes to a black with a silver sheen. It can be stunning in the right setting.

I promised not to drag this out, so let me address another of my favorites: alexandrite. My husband has an alexandrite set in a ring, and it is a real conversation piece because it changes color depending on the intensity of the light that reaches it. At any given time, it may be red, purple, lavender, green and occasionally yellow. It's like Nature's own mood ring.

As you can see, natural semi-precious stones offer a wonderful array or color and form. Feel free to explore the others on the list that we didn't discuss. Depending upon the colors needed in your project, semi-precious stones can deliver both the color and the luster to make any piece stand out and sparkle.

Obsidian and amber are two other interesting semi-precious stones. Obsidian is actually volcanic glass developed when a high-silica molten lava cools quickly. It comes in basic black, reddish-brown, and snowflake. The latter derives its name from the inclusions of white material in the otherwise black rock. Typically, obsidian must be ground and polished. Otherwise, it has very sharp edges (Native Americans used obsidian for arrow heads when they could get it because it forms and holds sharp edges comparatively easily). Amber is fossilized tree sap or resin. It is usually a honey-brown color, and often contains other fossil forms such as insects and plant materials. Happy Beading!

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