Raw Crystals

Most bracelets on this site are cut and polished beads. This collection is the other approach: stones left close to the shape they came out of the ground in, drilled and strung with minimal working. A raw stone keeps its natural surface — rough, matte, sometimes with a crystal face or a fracture line intact.

What is the difference between raw, tumbled and polished?

Tumbled stones are run in a drum with abrasive grit until every edge is rounded and the surface takes a soft sheen. Polished beads are cut to a shape and buffed to a mirror finish. Raw stones are cleaned and drilled and then left alone. That means the bead diameter is approximate rather than exact, and the surface has more grip against the skin.

What should you expect from a raw bracelet?

The beads will not all be the same size, and that is the point. Expect edges that catch on fine knitwear for the first week or two, a weight that sits heavier than a polished strand of the same diameter, and colour that varies bead to bead. If you need uniformity, a polished strand will suit you better — this is not the collection for that.

Raw pieces also tend to be more fragile at thin points. A fracture line that would have been ground away in a polished bead is still there, so avoid dropping them onto hard floors and do not wear them for lifting.

How to care for raw stone

Rinse in warm water and dry flat. Skip the ultrasonic cleaner entirely — on a rough surface it drives grit into cracks. If a bead chips, the break looks less obvious than it would on a polished stone, which is one quiet advantage of the raw finish.

Where to start

Raw obsidian and raw black tourmaline are the most forgiving entry points: dark, hard, and the roughness reads as deliberate rather than unfinished. If you want to compare against the polished version, browse obsidian or the tourmaline collection.