Why the Stone Matters
A tiny stone can carry much more of the story than you might expect.
The stones used in my charms, bracelets and necklaces are something I spend a lot of time choosing. Rather than buying large mixed bags simply because they are inexpensive, I prefer to select pieces for their colour, clarity, texture, carving and natural character — materials I would genuinely be happy to wear myself.
Across Luckie Foo you’ll find jadeite, red and yellow jadeite, golden silk jade, white jade, agate, tourmaline, aventurine and Hetian jade, together with many varieties of natural crystal. The selection is always changing depending on what beautiful little pieces I happen to find.
Natural Doesn’t Always Mean the Same Thing
Two beads may look almost identical in a photograph and still be very different in material, quality and value.
The gemstone market includes natural stones of many different grades, but also stones that have been dyed, filled, impregnated or otherwise treated to improve their colour, clarity or appearance. There are also synthetic and imitation materials made to resemble natural jade or crystal, which can sometimes be difficult to distinguish by appearance alone.
Treatments themselves are not something that should automatically be described as “bad” — some are accepted practices in the gemstone world when they are properly disclosed. What matters to me is knowing what I am choosing and being transparent about it.
For my own work, I prefer stones represented to me as natural and untreated whenever possible, particularly avoiding material described as artificially dyed, acid-treated or resin-impregnated. I also spend more for cleaner material, attractive natural colour and better carving when I think it makes a piece special.
Why Can the Prices Be So Different?
This is also why a natural-stone bracelet for a few dollars and one of my handwoven pieces shouldn’t necessarily be compared by appearance alone.
With natural jade and gemstones, colour, translucency, clarity, texture, origin, size, treatment and carving quality can all affect the material cost enormously. Some of the jadeite I source is considerably more expensive than ordinary commercial-grade beads, including pieces in natural green, red and yellow tones and material sourced from Myanmar.
At the other end of the market, inexpensive jewellery can be made possible through lower-grade material, treatments, mass production, synthetic stones or imitation materials. A low price alone doesn’t tell you which of these applies — but it does mean that two pieces that look similar on a screen may have very different stories behind them.
Why I Prefer Less-Treated Stones
For me, much of the beauty of choosing a natural stone is knowing that its colour, little mineral markings and variations belong to the material itself.
Heavy treatments can alter the original appearance or structure of a stone, while dyeing can introduce colour that wasn’t naturally there. Fillers may also be used to improve the appearance of fractures or porosity. I would rather work with the little inclusions and variations nature left behind than choose something simply because it looks perfectly uniform.
And for those who enjoy the traditional symbolism or personal meaning associated with jade and crystals, I think there is something especially meaningful about choosing a stone for its natural character rather than an appearance created to imitate one. I see these beliefs as personal traditions rather than scientific claims, but they are part of why many people feel connected to natural stones in the first place.
Made Around the Stone
Often, the stone comes before the design.
A particular carving, shade or natural marking might decide which cord I use, which smaller stones sit beside it, and what the finished piece eventually becomes. Sometimes finding the right materials takes longer than deciding how I want to weave them together.
That also means two Luckie Foo pieces of a similar size may not have the same price. The cost reflects not only the time spent handweaving each piece, but also the quality and cost of the individual stones used to make it.
I don’t believe every stone needs to be flawless or exceptionally rare. I simply want to know what I’m working with, choose thoughtfully, and let the natural material be part of the piece rather than something that needs to be disguised.
Perhaps that is the difference you cannot always see at first glance — but it is one I care about very much. ♡
