A gemstone  is a piece naturally occuring  attractive mineral or rock which, when cut and polished is used to make colourful jewellery. A gemstone is typically cut the cobochon style ( smooth dome)  or faceted and its price varies according to its colour, clarity and the extent of faceting and polishing done. 

Bali Beads are handmade of .925 sterling silver and imported mainly from Bali in Indonesia, and some also  from Turkey and India. Bali beads and Bali style beads are quite ornate with intricate designs and often used with crystal beads and gemstones in creating exquisite and original jewelry fashions. Bali bead jewellery is one of the most popular silver jewellery with all age groups from teens to seniors.

Thai silver or Hill Tribe silver is  carefully handcrafted by the long necked women of the Karen Hill tribe in Northern Thailand. Each bead, pendant or toggle is handmade by using traditional ancient methods passed down for generations. Each piece is individually crafted, therefore, the designs and weights will vary slightly reflecting its unique nature. The silver content of each piece ranges from 95%-99% as compared to sterling silver which is 92.5% pure. It is made by by wrapping extremely high quality silver strips around tree resins.

Swarovski crystal is the luxury brand name for the range of precision-cut lead crystal glass and related products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria.  For Swarovski crystal beads  design of the cuts is also important, just as in cutting gemstones. At Swarovski, the angles of the facets are set up to maximize refraction and reflection of light, thus making their products as brilliant as possible. More facets, the more brilliant and pretty the bead.

This is a new range of crystals used by many jewellery designers today. It is a pretty and less expensive alternative to swarovski.