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Gemstone Beads Index
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Click a gemstone name or picture below to shop in our online store, or return to the Menu.
- Stones are alphabetized by family. For example, to find information on Red Creek Jasper look under "J" for "Jasper".
- Not all gemstones listed below are current stock. Some might be unavailable, or only available at our traveling Bead Shows.
- "Also known as" (aka) listings are often misnomers; we list other names we've seen, right or wrong!
- To the best of our knowledge, our gemstones are natural and untreated unless otherwise noted.
- We use the term "dyed" to describe stones to which color has been added through some process. The coloring process does not necessarily involve a colorant like those used for cloth.
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Kunzite
aka Evening Stone, Lithia Amethyst
This transparent gem is a pale-pink to lilac variety of the mineral spodumene (the other variety, hiddenite, is green). Kunzite is strongly pleochroic (displaying color intensity variation of many colors), which is strongest on the kunzite crystal when viewed from the top or bottom. Kunzite is often found in association with morganite (a beryl) and pink tourmaline, two other popular pink gemstones. It also resembles rose quartz and pink topaz, but has clearer birefringence (double refraction) than both rose quartz and morganite. It is most difficult to distinguish from pink tourmaline. Kunzite is called the "evening stone," as it tends to fade in bright light. Its original color can be restored or even intensified by irradiation (for this reason, the stone is commonly heat treated and/or irradiated). Kunzite is relatively hard, with the same hardness as quartz. However, kunzite should be handled with care because, like diamonds, it has a distinct cleavage; a sharp blow applied to the wrong place can break it in two. Kunzite should also be protected from heat and continued exposure to strong light, both of which can gradually fade its color. Clean kunzite beads with mild dish soap.
This gemstone is named as a tribute to George Kunz, the legendary gem scholar, gemologist and gem buyer for Tiffany & Co. at the turn of the 20th century. As he searched for new varieties and deposits, Kunz also pursued old stories and legends about gems. He compiled the tales into a book called The Curious Lore of Precious Stones. Kunzite was first found in Connecticut (U.S.A), in the late 1800s, but the first commercially significant deposit was discovered in 1902 in the Pala region of California (U.S.A), where morganite was also first discovered. The name was a shrewd marketing move, as miners named the gem after its most likely customer, Kunz. Likewise, Kunz made sure the other new pink stone was named morganite for his expected patron, tycoon J.P. Morgan. Morgan was a major Tiffany & Co. customer, as well as one of the main benefactors of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The museum's gem collection displayed an array of donations from the plutocrat, many of them U.S. gem and mineral specimens originally bought from Tiffany & Co. at the urging of Kunz, who acted as advisor to Morgan.
Kunzite is said to create a balance between the physical and emotional bodies, and aid in security and fear brought on by others. It's also thought to stimulate poor circulation and release tension throughout the system. The gemstone is found in regions of Brazil, Afghanistan, Madagascar and the U.S.A.
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Kyanite
aka Blue Talc, Sappare
A shimmery stone with unusual properties, kyanite can become the sparkle in a necklace or the spark plug in an engine. This aluminum silicate is a polymorph with andalusite and sillimanite, meaning it shares the same chemistry but a different crystal structure with these other minerals. Kyanite is commonly a deep blue, similar to sapphire, and for this reason is named from the Greek word kyanos for "dark blue." The stone also appears in green and black, and more rarely, yellow, white or gray. The color is not always uniform; it can be blotchy or streaky. The crystals are transparent to translucent, and are found in long blades or columns. Kyanite forms during regional metamorphism under elevated temperatures and pressures, in rocks such as gneiss and schist. It is also found in kimberlites — unusual intrusive rocks that contain diamonds. While most minerals have just one hardness, kyanite has a range of 4.5-6.5; the hardness varies depending on which way the stone is scratched (because kyanite's crystals are so long and thin). This gemstone has perfect cleavage lengthwise and good cleavage in a second direction. Therefore, kyanite is characterized by its blue color, differing hardnesses, perfect cleavage and bladed crystal form. Kyanite is seldom faceted due to difficulties in cutting and remains an unusual collector's gem.
Little historical information is available on kyanite, but it has been mined around the world for at least a century. At one time, French jewelers extensively used the name sappare when referring to kyanite; this was the result of an error by a mineralogist from Geneva. The mineralogist H.B. Saussure Jr. reportedly misread a label attached to a specimen thought to be sapphire. Despite recognition of the mistake, the name "sappare" became widespread, and that name is still occasionally heard when referring to kyanite. In addition to jewelry, kyanite is widely used for industrial applications, especially in the manufacture of spark plugs, electrical insulators and heat-resistant ceramic (to reduce shrinkage as it expands). Considered to be very powerful energetically and metaphysically, kyanite has been called "the tripping stone." It is a stone of channeling, altered states, vivid dreams, dream recall and visualizations, and is said to give protection during these states. Believed to bring loyalty, honesty and tranquility, kyanite is also attributed with diminishing anger and confusion. Notable occurrences of this stone exist in Brazil, the U.S.A. (North Carolina and Georgia), Switzerland, Russia, Serbia, India, Kenya, Myanmar and Australia.
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Blue Kyanite
Blue is the most common and recognized color of this stone and it is generally just known as kyanite. This stone is said to open our minds and improve optimism while dispelling negativity. Mystics believe the color of the stone will boost meditation.
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Green Kyanite
A rarer color of kyanite, the green variety is said to help one to connect with the truth of the heart. It is said to help determine if another person is not speaking truthfully.
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Why can't I click on some stone names?
Some stones are not currently part of our regular stock, meaning we don't sell them in our wholesale catalog or online. However, these may still be available on our traveling Bead Show, which stops at more than 50 U.S. cities each year.
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