Ask the Experts Beading Q&A

I always buy gemstone beads. I get them all over.  Recently, I ran into an issue. I paid more than I usually would for what was pictured as nice looking "jewelry beads/agate" online, but what I received was a ton of HUGE drilled tumble stones with mineral deposits. The seller and I are in a disagreement about them being exactly as listed. What technically makes a bead a bead and a rock a rock? Is there a standard? Thanks!

What defines a bead is that there is a hole drilled completely through some portion of it. If your tumbled stones don’t have a hole through them, then you are correct that they are not beads and should not be marked as such.  Check out our EncycloBEADia^®  for more jewelry-making definitions

Gemstones beads will often be unique and cannot look exactly as pictured unless you are purchasing from someone selling a single bead, group of beads or strand, and it is explicitly stated that you will receive the exact beads pictured. 

When buying online, it is a good practice to make sure that there is a size or size range listed for the bead or stone. If no size is listed, we suggest messaging the seller and finding out for sure before purchasing. If you have a hard time translating a written size to what a bead or stone will look like in person, a circle template can be very helpful in understanding actual sizes.

- Elaine