Semi-Precious Stone Jewellery Suppliers
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An abbreviation for the term ‘Aurora Borealis’ or ‘Northern Lights’.

In costume jewellery, this is a term for crystal stones that have a highly iridescent surface. The effect is achieved by a permanent vacuum coating that covers one half of the crystal’s surface. The AB crystal was created by Swarovski® in 1955 in collaboration with Christian Dior, but the term ‘AB’ now refers to any iridescent finish. The AB coating enhances the brilliant Swarovski colour with flashes of iridescent yellow, pink and blue, and is sometimes described as having a rainbow effect. When the coating is used on pearls and other non-crystals, it is referred to as “Iris” (eg Blue Iris), after the Greek goddess of the rainbow in ancient mythology.

The AB2X surface effect has two times the coating of the AB effect, covering the entire crystal. The iridescent rainbow effect is seen on all sides, producing the utmost sparkle.

Natural birdseye rhyolite beads display a mix of red, cream, grey, pink and brown colours in bands, swirls and orbicular “birdseye” patterns. This volcanic stone was mined in Mexico. It takes a good polish, resulting in a smooth surface and a nice sheen. Colours and patterns vary on each bead.

Genuine, gleaming onyx adds a bold statement to jewellery designs. Although this beauty costs a little more, it is well worth it. This material is genuine, highly polished striped onyx dyed black in colour. As the dye is accepted differently throughout the stone, periodic banding may still be displayed. From Brazil.

Blackstone is a trade name for a variety of abundant black stones. Some varieties of blackstone have been permanently dyed to enhance their natural colour. Blackstone, with its satin, moderate gloss polish, is perfect for accenting or mixing with contrasting gemstones, and blends nicely with either gold or silver beads and findings.

Borosilicate glass is created by adding boron to the traditional glassmaker’s mix of silicate sand, soda and ground lime. Initially, it had industrial uses (as Pyrex by Corning, for laboratory equipment, by Bodum for coffee-plunger glassware, among others). Coloured borosilicate, for the art glass trade, was first widely brought onto the market in 1986 when Paul Trautman founded Northstar Glassworks. There are now a number of small companies in the USA and elsewhere that manufactures and sells coloured borosilicate glass for use by art-glass craftspeople. Beads made from Boro glass are usually sturdier than those made from other types of glass — great for bracelets.

This gemstone is a semi-translucent to opaque form of opal with a variety of patterns, and features stunning tones of deep bronze-orange, gold, cream and burgundy with a slight iridescence.

These Czech fire-polished glass beads have faceted sides and intricate metallic, enhanced detailing on the top and bottom. Each of these is a treasure in itself, and they add exquisite charm wherever they are used. These are beautiful whether strung alone or in combination with other beads.

Glass that reflects, reminiscent of a cat’s eye. The terms ‘chatoyant’ and ‘optic’ are also used in this context.

These beads are hand-faceted and hand-polished in the Orient from leaded-crystal glass, making each bead minutely different and giving jewellery a unique hand-crafted look. Each bead is extremely reflective, creating a cascade of sparkling colour. Celestial Crystal™ features rich, subtle colour tones that add understated elegance to sophisticated designs. This range of beads is made exclusively for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads in the USA, and reflects that company’s high specifications for quality.

Cherry ‘quartz’ is manmade from glass with solid and opaque pink striations ranging from deep to light colour tones, just like the natural quartz. Also called ‘strawberry quartz’, this manmade material is cut by the same factory that cuts the gemstone beads I recieve. Colour is opaque and solid, striating through components in deep and light tones.

Cinnabar beads are produced in a process combining layers and layers of coloured lacquer, then hand-carved with the intricate patterns reminiscent of ancient Asia. Red cinnabar beads are designed to resemble natural coral material, black ones to resemble natural jet and blue ones to resemble natural turquoise.

Created by skilled artisans, each cloisonné bead can take up to four hours to produce. Dozens of tiny cells are arranged on the bead’s surface, filled with enamel colour, and fired. Each bead is polished, revealing intricate and beautiful designs. Since each bead is handmade, colours and styles may vary.

Synthetic gemstone developed in 1977 to simulate a diamond. Now these are available in many colours to simulate other gemstones, including citrine, sapphire, ruby, zircon and peridot.

Czech beads are renowned for their excellent craftsmanship dating back to the 11th Century. Made of quality glass, the vivid colours will not fade and are consistent throughout the line. My items use Preciosa (formerly Jablonex) prime quality, traditional Czech glass beads. Preciosa is the name behind the well-known Czech seed beads and Czech fire-polished beads, with exceptional colour and size consistency. The beads are optically polished for a scratch-free surface, creating maximum brilliance. For the full story, visit our Czech Glass Beads page.

Delica seed beads are perfectly cylindrical modern Japanese beads with thin walls and large holes. They can be smooth or six-sided. Their uniform size and shape make them perfect for precision work.

These are clear glass beads first coated in gold or silver plating, then fired. They are then coated with colour and refired. This second firing shrinks the colour coating away from the plating, forming the “fissures.”

This amazing glass has fantastic multi-coloured and reflective properties. For the full story in an easy-to-follow format, follow this link Dichroic Glass to Fire Mountain Gems’ website.

Dumortierite, also called “blue denim stone”, is actually an aluminium borate silicate from Brazil. This is a versatile gemstone — perfect with jeans or a suit.

These beads, imported from the Czech Republic, are machine-faceted, then polished by glazing inside a red-hot oven. This gives them beautiful, glistening colours with a “softer” look and a smoother feel at a considerably lower price than the machine-polished Austrian crystal. Slight imperfections are to be expected and add to the allure of these sought-after beads.

This jasper is known for swirled and mottled shades of red, grey and earthy browns in both opaque and translucent colours. It is also sometimes called “Fire Jasper.”

Of all the types of imitation pearls, glass-based pearls are the highest quality with fantastic lustre.

A gold alloy plate, where the plating constitutes at least 1/20th of the weight of the metal in the entire article. The term must be preceded by the carat (karat) fineness, e.g. “14K gold-filled”.

A manmade stone that is a “look alike” for natural hematite but without the latter’s cost. It is a shiny, almost gunmetal black, with a sleek modern look.

This results from crystal quartz heated, then quickly cooled. The crystals that don’t explode into dust sometimes develop the beautiful internal fractures reminiscent of ice crystal. The internal surface reflects light in every direction.

Please see AB information.

The jewellery trade name given to a form of banded calcite or onyx marble with neutral colour tones, a semi-translucent appearance and a glossy polish. It occurs naturally in white (translucent to opaque), white streaked with brown, white banded with cream or yellow, pale sea green, rusty red and brown. Colour, pattern and veining/banding vary in each bead. Surface blemishes, flat spots or cavities add to the natural beauty of the stone. It is sometimes permanently dyed blue to provide an economical alternative to natural blue lace agate; or dyed dark pink to replicate the bands of colour in fine rhodochrosite.

Natural jet is solid opaque black. Great for beading, it’s extremely lightweight for its size, can be intricately carved and takes a great polish. This unique material comes from the coalmines of barren northern China. This gem is valued for its metaphysical properties because it is one of the few black gems that is totally natural. This gem is entirely cut, carved and polished by hand, therefore sizes and weights may vary slightly.

Labradorite is a gemstone of grey-green colour, laced with brilliant eye-catching blue-green flashes. Discovered in 1770, it is mined mostly in Northeastern Canada in the Labrador peninsula — hence its name.

A complex and challenging method of making glass beads. A torch burning either propane or natural gas is used to melt and shape the glass, with either air or pure oxygen used as the oxidiser. All lampworked glass beads are made individually by hand, so shapes, colours and details may vary slightly, giving each bead unique characteristics. Fire Mountain Gems has an explanation of the lampworked process used to make seahorse pendants (see my Christmas decorations), along with some great photos. If you’re interested in more details, use this link to the FMG article.

These iridescent beads and components come from the hard internal layer of the sea mollusc that produces pearls. Mother-of-pearl enhances the skin tones of both tanned and porcelain complexions, and epitomises feminine loveliness.

Murano glass has been a famous product of the Venetian island of Murano for centuries, continuing today. It is used not only in the fabrication of Venetian glass objects (including beads) but also exported to artist glassmakers worldwide.

New “jade” is the trade name for a semi-translucent serpentine stone with some inclusions ranging from light and creamy to black. It is available in a variety of green shades, including olive, sea green, green and peridot. Leaf beads are a beautiful accent to autumn and winter styles.

See “Ocean Jasper”.

This newly discovered gemstone gets its name from where it is found on the northwest coast of Madagascar, along the edge of the sea. It can only be mined at low tide as it is actually fossilised coral. Ocean jasper displays rich hues and mottled accents in green, rust, grey, cream, blue, brown and caramel. The unique orbicular patterns and designs, reminiscent of small sea creatures, make no two beads exactly the same. In metaphysical terms, it is commonly believed to promote balance of physical, intellectual and emotional spheres. It is also known in the lapidary trade as ocean agate, orbicular agate and orbicular jasper.

This refers to the colouration that occurs in certain metals when they are exposed at length to the atmosphere. A thin, greenish layer appears on the surface of copper and bronze; a reddish effect appears on gold. An artificial patina can be created with acids or electrolyte.

Genuine peacock pearls are part of the Tahitian pearl family and are characterised by their overtones of navy blue, forest green and deep plum. These tones shift, gaining complexity and depth, as the pearl is viewed from different angles. The body tone is usually tinged with dark green, as well. Some freshwater pearls are dyed to mimic the Tahitian peacock pearl. The term “peacock” is often also applied to base colours other than Tahitian, e.g. Silver Peacock, Copper Peacock.

Named for its resemblance to a Picasso painting, this jasper has wide streaks and narrow veins of black, taupe, grey and brick red blending in varying patterns that give it an abstract, modernistic look.

Pink opal displays varying intensities of pink to grey-white in an opaque stone. This stone does not have the rainbow play of colour found in a true opal. However, it is still beautiful. From Peru.

An expensive whitish-grey metallic element from the platinum family.

Agate is a banded chalcedony with red shades ranging from translucent to opaque. Red agate obtains its rich, red-orange color from an age-old process of dyeing and heating, which enhances the natural colour and banding of the raw stone. Beads and other components are translucent to opaque, sometimes with some darker inclusions, and range in colour from pale yellow to reddish-orange.

This deep, brick-red jasper is similar to pipestone — a soft red stone mined in Minnesota for centuries by the Plains Indians for the carving and making of pipes. Red jasper is luscious with unakite, turquoise or bone. From Australia and India.

An expensive whitish-grey metallic element from the platinum family.

Rhyolite blends green, brick red, tan and brown tones in amazing patterns. It is a volcanic rock that is located in areas where volcanoes have erupted and is found all over the world. It is closely related to granite. Only rhyolite has finer crystals and a glassy, high-shine appearance. Quartz, feldspar, mica and hornblende are the minerals that make up rhyolite. Rhyolite is the perfect stone selection when looking to capture the colours of autumn.

Rose quartz is translucent to semi-translucent with lineal opaque pink patterns. It came to be known as the stone of love and reconciliation, from the Greek myth about Aphrodite and Adonis. Its natural colour of rose quartz. Like the delicate pink rose for which it is named, this stone is associated with love around the world.

Meticulously crafted in Austria to the highest standards of quality, Swarovski® crystal sets the standard. Swarovski® crystal beads and components are machine cut, providing flawless consistency. The rich colour and captivating sparkle make any design unforgettable. Each Swarovski® crystal component is precision-beveled or faceted to enhance the colour and characteristic of the superior-quality, leaded crystal. Crafted by the masters, each piece is a glistening treasure. Swarovski® pearls have a crystal core with layers of highly luminous pearl coating — the best reproduction of natural pearls. Their surface is resistant to UV rays, perfumes and cosmetics.

Made of resin, framed in sterling silver, each pendant features an image of leaves, birds, trees and other natural elements in Taina Hartman’s distinctive line-drawn style. Add a jump ring and sterling chain, silk cord or even wire lace ribbon to the attached bail, and you have a beautiful necklace expressing an artisan’s personal touch. The bright, saturated colours are perfect for late summer and autumn.

Terbium is a rare earth element that adds exceptional brilliance to these faceted glass teardrops. Lighter shades absorb more background. Shade appearance may vary depending on lighting conditions.

The USA-made TierraCast® product line of pewter charms, beads and other jewellery components is cast from moulds designed and created by master craftsmen, each trained in the skills of fine jewellers. These finely crafted components are cast with precise attention to detail and high levels of quality control. Every piece is created at the company’s facility in California, and has been since 1978.

TierraCast pewter is actually a blend of tin, antimony and copper called ”Britannia metal” or “britannium,” a pewter-type alloy favoured for its silvery appearance and smooth surface. This alloy is far below the lead content limits set by the state of California, including the standards for pewter which may come in contact with food. TierraCast’s components are electroplated with fine silver, 22-karat gold, rhodium or copper.

One famous use of britannium is to make the Oscar statuettes that are handed out each year at the Academy Awards. The 8½-pound statuettes are Britannia metal plated with gold.

This is a jewellery trade name for a type of limestone with opaque, rich brown tones of contrasting bands on a medium to darker golden base. The beads have a matte finish and texture, creating an earthy appearance, and exhibit a natural wood-grain look.

A blend of greens and reds reminiscent of autumn’s pleasures, unakite is named for the place it was discovered in South Carolina, USA. The rich variety of colours in aragonite, autumn jasper, peridot or red jasper complement it beautifully. Colours may vary, with some beads having more green than others.

Made in Venice, Italy, primarily on the island of Murano, for many centuries, Venetian glass is internationally renowned for being colourful, elaborate and skillfully made. Venetian glass objects range from beads and jewellery items through drink ware and decorative domestic pieces to chandeliers and major art pieces.

Venetian lampworked glass beads are handcrafted by melting rods of glass with a flame torch and forming the molten glass into the desired shape. A special process wraps delicate gold (24K gold or white gold) or sterling silver foil around the heart of the bead, giving the glass fascinating striations. The reflection of light on the foil gives these beads their intriguing depth and colour variation.

Intense colours are hallmarks of Venetian design, and the beads I have chosen feature the saturated hues, elegant texture and encased foiling characteristic of Venetian glass.

My genuine Venetian glass beads are the same as those displayed in high-end jewellers’ stores, but I purchase mine when special pricing deals are available from the accredited importers.

Vermeil is sterling silver heavily electroplated with 22kt gold.

The jewellery trade name for yellow-dyed quartzite. The colour varies per bead strand from golden-yellow to yellow-brown.

Serpentine, quartz and a blend of jaspers, this gem is called “turquoise” because it is found in the same mines. Its natural colours range from grey/cream to light brown to yellow-green, and it ranges from a mottled semi-translucent to opaque. It is often dyed to resemble the darker blue colours of some real turquoises.

The Wisconsin, USA studio of Linda Stanek hand-makes original maple wood pendants that feature one-of-a kind applied transfers (purchased or handmade). Each image composition is painstakingly transferred to the wood disc before the wood surface is sealed.