Today when we hear the term handmade jewellery or handcrafted jewellery what is brought to mind is the beaded type of jewellery which is crafted from semi-precious gemstones that a through hole and is strung on wire. Jewellery where a flat backed or cabochons stone is set in the design is not usually referred to as handmade or handcrafted.

When it comes to making handmade jewellery there are two main styles of semi-precious stones. One is the larger stones that you will find have been cut and polished and cut into many shapes like rounds, rectangles, cubes, oval, teardrop, and rice and twisted. You will find these in smooth polished and some that have a faceted cut and come in a range of semi-precious stones like Rose Quartz, Amazonite, Tigers Eye, Turquoise, Onyx and many more. The size of these semi-precious beads usual vary in size from 4mm to 20mm and these beads are usually used in pieces of handcrafted jewellery that are chunkier in designs and sometimes used in combination with other materials. They make beautiful necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

The other sorts of beads that we will find are finer and usually faceted and some of the beads that are created from these semi-precious gemstones are called rondels, briolette and small round. These stones are much smaller and because they have a faceted fine cut they will reflect the light so they are placed in pieces of handmade jewellery to add some sparkle and shine. These beads are usually around 2mm to 7mm in size so are ideal for finer and more delicate pieces of handcrafted jewellery. These semi-precious gemstones may be added to designs that have been created from smooth polished stones as a contrast and design detail. This type of bead can be found in most of the semi-precious gemstones and these are used to make some unique and original designs. These stones look stunning set together in clusters in earrings, pendants and rings reflecting the light to create a sparkling piece of handmade jewellery.

After you have chosen the type of semi-precious gemstone you would like to create your piece of unique handcrafted jewellery you can start creating your unique design. If the look you want to achieve is chunky and bold then the larger beads are the ones that you will need, you can use these on their own or you can compliment them with other stones and beads. If the look you want is finer and more delicate then the smaller beads are the ones to choose and as with the larger beads you will be able to mix these with other stones. Freshwater pearls work perfectly with these small faceted beads.

If you are want to make a piece of handcrafted jewellery that is big and bold there are some semi-precious stones you can source in large slabs. Many of the Agates are available like this and can be quite beautiful when polished and come in some bright colours. Polished slabs can be set on a clasp and hung from a chain making a plain and simple pendant that will be a real show stopper. Many of the different types of Jaspers come in larger pieces and when polished and cut can be made into beautiful pendants in many shapes both smooth polished and carved and these make great focal points for many handmade jewellery designs. These can be placed in the centre of a unique necklace designs and then framed with smaller beads either of the same stone or a mix that will compliment the main focal point stone.

The type of handcrafted jewellery you can create from semi-precious gemstones beads of any size is only limited by your imagination and you are able to create earrings, bracelets, necklaces, jewellery sets, pendants and rings.