A D-shaped bead, flat on one side, curved on the other.
Not listed online yet. Ask us what is in the stock room.
Half-moons give the most face for the least weight, then marquise, then pear, then oval. Sizes like 11x15 mm half-moons or 6x9 mm pears balance presence and comfort. By stone heft, zircon feels heaviest, then topaz, then tourmaline. At 3 mm per 8 inches: zircon 26 ct, topaz 20 ct, tourmaline 17 ct.
Stronger blue flash shows most consistently on beads 4 mm and larger and on flat or broad-faced shapes like coins, cushions, rectangles, pears, and pyramids. Test under a warm indoor lamp and in daylight. Tilt the strand slightly and rotate; note which beads hold flash under both sources.
Head to Jaipur-cut gemstone strand importers and faceted gemstone strand dealers. They most often carry pyramids, half-moons, trilliants and arrowheads. Expect trilliants in the 6 to 10 mm bracket, arrowheads around 12 to 25 mm, pyramids commonly near 9x15 mm and half-moons around 11x15 mm. Cab-only and rough booths rarely stock drilled fancy shapes.