1

Quartz

When many people consider quartz, they think of clear quartz. However, quartz also comes in various colors, including smoky quartz and rose quartz, and all three of these colors make beautiful jewelry designs. All are transparent, and when cut into faceted beads, they catch and refract the light in a beautiful, sparkling display. Smoky quartz comes in colors ranging from light brown to deep gray, while rose quartz has a lovely blush pink color. Moreover, combining smoky quartz and rose quartz together in a single piece creates a lovely contrast. When making jewelry, you can choose quartz beads that are translucent with no occlusions for the most elegant jewelry designs.

Amethyst

As a form of quartz, amethyst features a beautiful translucent purple color. This purple hue can be a light, nearly pink purple, or it can be very deep in color. Collectors tend to value the deeper purples more highly than they do the pinkish purples, but both create beautiful jewelry. Faceted amethyst beads catch the light to create lovely sparkles, and these faceted beads appear clearer without quartz occlusions, while the occlusions add interest to non-faceted beads. Amethyst works well by itself, or it can create a beautiful contrast when combined in a piece that also contains citrine.

Citrine

Like amethyst, citrine comes from quartz. Its color ranges from pale yellow to deep golden yellow, and the deeper shades of citrine tend to come from heat-treated amethyst, while lighter shades tend to be naturally occurring. Jewelers prize both types, and many individuals believe that citrine brings good luck and helps to build prosperity.

Sapphire

While many people think of blue gemstones when they consider sapphire">sapphire, it actually comes in an array of colors. Blue sapphire remains one of the most common colors, but you can also find pretty salmon-colored padparadscha sapphires and yellow or orange songea sapphires. When making elegant beaded jewelry, select faceted sapphire beads to capture the sparkle of the gemstone, unless you are using star sapphire. In that case, it is best to use an unfaceted bead to display the star on the surface of the bead.