San Diego's Bead Store. Exotic Gemstone Beads. Designer Beads. Ancient Beads
Precious Gemstone Beads
Ever want to know a bit more about the gemstone beads you own? This is page will give you a little bit more information about various gemstones that we keep in stock. This particular page covers the precious gemstone beads, please check out semi precious page if you don't see the stone you're looking for. Remember to check back often, we'll be adding new entries weekly! For more information regarding gemstone information and properties, we recommend the following books: Smithsonian Rock & Gem (part of the DK series), Firefly's Guide to Gems by Cally Oldershaw, The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall and The Book of Stones by Robert Simmons & Naisha Ahsian.
Diamond beads in assorted grades and cuts.
Diamond
Perhaps the most recognizable gemstone in the world, diamonds (which are made of pure carbon) are second to none in hardness topping the Mohs scale at a 10. In fact, diamonds are so hard that only tools coated in powdered diamonds will cut them! Coming in a variety of colors diamonds can be blue, champagne, black, pink, yellow, purple and many other colors. Natural colored diamonds are rare, so it is not uncommon to treat diamonds with intense radiation or with heat treatments to achieve the fancier colors. Diamond is the birth stone for April and is used as a symbol for purity and an amplifier of energy.
The picture to the left shows examples of our diamond bead collection.
Emerald rondelle and drop beads.
Emerald
Emeralds are a green variety of the beryl family and has a hardness of 7.5-8. Emeralds have been prized for thousands of years by numerous cultures worldwide. They were a symbol of fertility and life to the Egyptians, alchemists in Europe associated the stone with the God Hermes, and the Aztecan associated emeralds with the beautiful green quetzal bird. Emeralds are found in Brazil, Australia, Zambia, North Carolina and most famously, Columbia. Emeralds are believe to help the wearer heal over a heartbreak, and viewed as a stone of courage.
The picture to the left shows examples of our emerald bead collection.
Fine blue sapphire beads.
Sapphire
Sapphires are a type of corundum and with a Mohs hardness of 9, it is second in hardness only to diamond. Even though we are mostly familiar with blue sapphires, they can come in every color of the rainbow except for red, which is known as a ruby. Sapphires can be found all over the world, from Burma, Sri Lanka and Australia to Montana! Sapphire is the birth stone for September and while each color has it's own specific benefits, generally it is known as the wisdom stone and focuses and calms the mind.
The pictures to the left and bottem show examples of our sapphire bead collection.
Sapphires naturally occur in just about every color!
Rubies cut into faceted and smooth beads.
Ruby
Ruby is the red variety of corundum and has a Mohs hardness of 9. Rubies have a long history; mining for this stone goes back to the 8th century BC in Sri Lanka and has been prized by royalty from all eras. Not all rubies are clear stones, star rubies are rubies that contain large amounts of inclusions called "rutiles" that grew in patterns and when the stone is cut en cabochon a star shape appears. Rubies are found in a number of places including India, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and North Carolina. Ruby is the birthstone for July and believed to be a stone of courage.
The picture to the left shows examples of our ruby bead collection.
Prices mentioned in Lost Cities' emails, blogs, handouts, websites, etc. are effective the date of publication. They are subject to market conditions and availability and may be modified as necessary at Lost Cities' discretion. Lost Cities Beads 2802 Juan St. #14 San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 692-1114 Monday-Saturday 10am - 6pm Sunday 10am - 5pm Closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day Questions, comments? Contact us either by phone during business hours, or email us at lostcitiesbeads@att.net. Copyright Lost Cities 2009
