Handmade Gemstone Jewellery – Types of Gemstone Styles

Today the term ‘handmade gemstone jewellery’ has become more synonymous with the beaded type of jewellery which is made from gemstones which have two holes for wire or thread to go through. Cut stones, which are typically used in engagement rings, are not generally referred to as handmade gemstone jewellery.

There are two main types of gemstone styles in use in handmade gemstone jewellery. One type is the larger stones which can be cut in a wide variety of shapes i.e. round, square, oval, twisted etc, as well as roughly faceted and hammered stones. These stones generally tend to be any size from 4mm to 20mm in width. These stones are used primarily for the chunkier types of gemstone jewellery often combined with other materials.

At the smaller end of the spectrum lie the more finely faceted gemstones which are more commonly found in round, briolette and rondelle shapes and these have been cut especially finely for an extra sparkle and often called ‘micro faceted’. These measure within the range of 2mm to 7mm in size and this style can be found in a wide range of precious as well as semi-precious gemstones. These smaller faceted types are more delicate and easily lend themselves to more petite styles of jewellery such as earrings and pendants. They are also used with headpins and wire wrapping to gather together a small bunch of stones for a pretty clustered effect.

As for choosing the right sort of gemstone type to suit you, if you are of a larger build you can easily wear the more chunky styles – which of course may well have finer stones intermingled between the larger beads. You can get beautiful large rough nuggets with a wonderful organic look to them in many types of gemstones, even the more expensive sapphire, ruby and emerald gemstones. Bear in mind that large gemstones can be quite heavy when wearing them so it is useful to check the weight of the jewellery.

Another option, particularly for more petite ladies, is to choose the smaller faceted sparkly gemstones which can be obtained in rubies, emeralds and sapphires as well as the less expensive stones like the quartz family. Therefore one can find rubies for example in a bead style which are truly beautiful stones, so it is important not to be misled and assume that only cut gemstones like the type used for engagement rings is the only choice in the market for the precious gemstones.

There is a huge range of colours in gemstones – so there is plenty of choice for everyone to find gorgeous stones to fall in love with. So take a look at handmade gemstone jewellery for its huge range and variety of designs, shapes and colours.