Gemstone Bracelet

Natural Color and Dyed Color

Most stones on this page carry their color from the minerals inside them: iron gives jasper and bloodstone their reds, and labradorite's flash comes from light bouncing between thin layers inside the crystal. Howlite deserves a note, because it is naturally white with gray veining, so a blue howlite bead has been dyed, and its color runs into the stone instead of coating it. Dyed stone is common and perfectly wearable; the one thing it dislikes is chlorine, which can lift the dye over time.

• Iron makes the reds. Jasper and bloodstone get their warm tones from iron minerals.
• Layers make the flash. Labradorite shows color only when light hits it at an angle.
• Blue howlite is dyed. White howlite takes dye well, so keep it away from pool water.

Hard Stones and Soft Stones

Stones are rated for hardness on the Mohs scale, from talc at 1 to diamond at 10, and the number tells you what a bead can survive. Jasper and bloodstone rank high enough to outlast a steel watch case, so they shrug off daily knocks. Labradorite is a little softer and can split along its internal planes if it lands on tile. Howlite, at roughly 3.5, marks more easily and should be stored away from harder beads and metal. None of this makes a stone fragile in normal wear; it simply tells you which strands to take off before moving furniture.

• Jasper takes knocks. Its hardness beats a steel watch case.
• Labradorite dislikes tile. A hard drop can split it along internal planes.
• Howlite stores apart. At its softer rating it marks against harder beads.

Why Stone Feels Different From Wood

Stone is denser than wood, so a bead of the same size weighs more and holds its temperature longer. Put a stone strand on in the morning and it feels cool for the first few minutes, then settles to skin temperature and stays there. That weight is part of the appeal, because a gemstone strand is felt through the day in a way a wooden one is not. Lava is the lightweight among stones since it is full of small pores, and that is why it so often sits between heavier stones to balance a strand.

• Denser and heavier. A stone bead outweighs a wood bead of the same size.
• Cool, then warm. Stone needs a little time before it matches the skin.
• Lava lightens the load. Porous lava balances heavier partners.

Choosing a Stone by What You Wear

Start with the colors already in your wardrobe. Gray and navy suit labradorite, whose flash picks up blue; earth tones and denim suit the reds and browns of jasper; black and white outfits suit howlite and lava. If one stone family appeals more than the rest, the jasper bracelet page explains how its varieties differ, and the lava rock bracelet page covers the black bead many of these stones are paired with. Pick a stone that repeats a color you wear often, and the strand will earn a place in daily rotation.

• Gray and navy, labradorite. Its blue flash repeats cool colors.
• Denim and earth tones, jasper. Warm reds and browns sit with casual clothes.
• Black and white, howlite and lava. Contrast stones for a monochrome wardrobe.