Announcement
I hope you'll enjoy my wide selection of earthy gemstone beads. Looking for a specific item? There's a handy search box at the top of my shop. :)
For more information, see my policies and profile, or contact me with your questions at any time.
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http://news.stowawaybeads.com
My handmade jewelry shop: http://lavajewelry.etsy.com
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Reviews
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Sera on Dec 23, 2022
5 out of 5 starsMost gorgeous beads, shipping was quick and item was well packaged
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Ellowyne on Sep 28, 2022
5 out of 5 starsThe most beautiful jasper beads I have yet to find, thank you!!
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Donna on Sep 23, 2022
5 out of 5 starsBeautiful color and very reasonably priced. Thank you for shipping them with care and so quickly.
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Jacqueline on Aug 5, 2022
5 out of 5 starsSo lovely. I've bought 4mm lepidolite beads from so many other shops, but this has been the best so far. Just the right color and true to size. The hole is large enough to use with my favorite stringing wire. As soon as I examined the beads, I logged on and bought up what was left. Thank you :)
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Robert on Jul 29, 2022
5 out of 5 starsMy wife loves the color of these beads and the necklace I made for her with the beads.
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Lila on May 21, 2022
5 out of 5 starsItems were delivered super fast and was well packed. I’m very pleased with the quality of these beads! Thank you! Seller & beads are highly recommended.
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Christine on May 15, 2022
5 out of 5 starsThis seller unfortunately had a problem with several pieces of mail and then did not have any product left to send me. I gave her a 5 because she notified of my refund, told me of the problem she encountered and I felt she was honest and that I would visit her site again.
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lumendrops on May 14, 2022
5 out of 5 starsBeautiful beads!! Perfect for my needs; very quick ship, appreciated!
About StowawayBeads
A Geologist Offering Gemstone Beads
Shop members
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Michele Dodge
Owner, Photography, Packaging, Purchasing
A geologist by training, I love to find gorgeous gemstone beads to offer my customers.
Shop policies
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Customs and import taxes
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Returns & exchanges
Cancellations
Privacy policy
More information
Frequently asked questions
Sizing details
I do my best to provide measurements for all of my beads, but sizes and drill holes measure quite a bit in natural gemstone beads. All measurements listed are approximate only.
Are all of your beads natural gemstones?
With the exception of hematite, all of the beads I offer were made by nature. Quite a few of them have been enhanced in various way to improve appearance or durability. I try to mention the known treatments in my listings. I personally prefer natural, untreated gemstones, so I choose those whenever possible. However some types of gemstones are always, always treated. For example, onyx is not black in nature.; black onyx is always dyed. Soft minerals like magnesite must always be stabilized to be durable enough to use as beads. Citrine and carnelian beads are almost always heat-treated. And although hematite is a naturally-occurring mineral, hematite beads are always man made. If you'd like to know about a particular gemstone, please ask me.
Do you offer wholesale?
Sales tax is automatically added to any order being shipped to a California address. If you are a reseller in California, please send me a completed BOE resale certificate (Form 230). Once I have verified your seller's permit, I will refund your sales tax.
Do you offer bulk discounts?
I offer bulk discounts for orders of $100+, $250+, and $500+ in the form of coupon codes sent out in my monthly newsletter (sign up at http://news.stowawaybeads.com ).
What do gemstone grades mean?
We've all seen bead shops that claim all of their beads are grade "A+++". Unfortunately, this isn't very meaningful or helpful when shopping. The problem is that there is no standardized system for grading gemstone beads, either nationally or internationally, so here I provide the criteria used for grading the beads sold in my shop. I hope that these criteria will be helpful to customers purchasing online from me.
See "Gemstone Grades" below.
Gemstone Grades
Grade D: Beads that can be used in more rustic or crafty projects. Often made with material that has flaws or less-than-ideal color. Can include uneven cutting or off-center drilling. I include these beads because I find them pretty, flaws and all. Depending on what kind of work you are doing with these beads, you may find there are several culls per strand with these beads.
Grade C: Better quality than Grade D (fewer flaws and better color), but can include uneven cutting or off-center drilling. The size and shape of the beads within a strand can vary a good amount. Depending on what kind of work you are doing with these beads, you may find there are a few culls per strand with these beads.
Gemstone Grades, Cont.
Grade B: Quality material, with a good polish (unless the beads are intentionally meant to be matte, or a softer material that does not take on a good polish), good cutting and drilling. Beads that are rated Grade B in my shop can be found graded as Grade A, AA, and AAA elsewhere. The beads are fairly uniform in size and shape throughout the strand. These are some nice gemstone beads.
Grade A: Best material which is usually used in making beads. Excellent polish, cutting, and drilling. The beads are extremely uniform in size and shape.
Grade AA: High-quality material that is usually not used in beads, because it can fetch a higher per-carat price when sold as loose faceted stones or cabochons than as beads.
What does "limited quantity" mean?
The items that I have labelled "limited quantity" are beads that I don't expect to be able to restock in the future.
Do you combine shipping?
No, I do not combine shipping for multiple orders. If you wish to purchase more than one item, please place all items in your shopping cart and check out just once. The shipping cost is reduced for additional items added to your cart. Shipping is weight-based.
Seller details
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