Handmade gemstone jewelry - bead shapes - a primer - flat beads

By "flat beads" I mean beads that aren't faceted and have a flat surface, usually on two sides. These would include flat oval beads, squares, rectangles, diamond shapes, etc.

I like flat beads because they show off some gemstones very effectively, especially patterned gemstones - but it is a nice cut for gemstones that don't have distinctive patterns too.Picture jasper is probably the most obvious example of a stone that looks really nice when it has a flat surface, because the patterns in the gemstone are more visible than in other cuts. Some agates are amazingly beautiful, and the banding is really shown off in a flat cut. The list of gemstones that are beautiful when cut with a flat surface is endless and includes labradorite, lapis, malachite, turquoise, Peruvian pink and blue opals, chalcedony and many others