Confession time: I'm a sucker for rhodochrosite.  I don't know if it's because I've always been attracted to pink and grey, or if it's the beautiful patterns and striations, or just all of the above, but it's one of my favorite stones.  We currently have several strands available. Let's take a look!

Even before I learned it's name I loved the look of brandy opal, but the name definitely clinched it!  It sounds so . . . tasty!  We have rounds and nuggets currently available. Enough chatting, let's start looking.

Natural turquoise is pretty hard to find these days, but occasionally we get some in stock.  We currently have 3 strands of turquoise chips that are all a little different. Each strand is 16 inches, $147.50.

Coin shape fresh water pearls are beautiful, but so are similar shapes, such as the square, rectangle and diamond.  As with all pearls there can be a lot of variation in color, texture and how uniform a strand is, which also determines price. We have some lovely strands at the shop.  Here's a look.

Combine two popular trends, such as a matte finish on semi-precious beads and large sizes, and you get, yes, large semi-precious beads with a matte finish! There's something about the matte finish that adds another dimension to the variations in stone. Larger size beads are also better at showing off these variations. Here's some that are currently in stock at Bead In Hand.

I don't know why these beads are called English cut.  I have some theories, but really, does it matter?  They are Czech glass beads that have a bit of a stone look. They didn't interest me at first, but seeing them in action has made me a convert. We carry strands of 8mm and 10mm. Prices vary, but the 8mm strands have 20 beads and cost around $4.90.  The 10mm strands have 15 beads for around $6.75.

The wonderful thing about African beads is their uniqueness. One strand is never quite the same as another, and once something is gone, well there's no telling if you'll see anything like it again.  Here are a few items we currently have in stock.

Lapis Lazuli is one of the semi-precious stones that is often graded for quality, with "AAA" the highest and "A" the lowest, and prices that correspond to the grade.  The more uniform the color, and the deeper the blue, the higher the quality.  Still, this doesn't make the lower grades any less beautiful, and sometimes a stone with a little more variety is just what you want for your design. When you come across some lapis that really speaks to you, get it.  Once it's gone you'll never find the exact type again.  Here's a look at what we currently have available.

Sapphire comes in a wide range of colors -- all beautiful of course.  We have three strands of umba sapphire briolettes. Yes, they are beautiful.  They are 8 inch strands, $254 per strand.