Odd Shaped Gemstones for Jewelry Making

Some gemstones are cut into odd shapes to take advantage of spectacular coloring, interesting patterns or appealing inclusions. To cut them into a regular shape would spoil these attractive features.

The good news is that there are hundreds of different gemstones to choose from and the bad news is that there are hundreds of different gemstones to choose from!

How will you go about choosing which of the 100s of colored gemstones available. Well you don't have to because we have evaluated them all and come up with the best 18. All our choices are readily available and come in a variety of sizes.

Our gemstones are assessed by color, hardness, pattern, price and what we call the 'wow factor'

Jump straight to our lists and charts of odd shaped gemstones

Agate

Agate is a colorful gemstone with interesting patterns and bands, great and varied shapes and a hardness which enables it to be used as any type of jewelry. Moss Agate, Blue Lace Agate and Dendritic Agate are all part of this varied family.

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Ammolite

Ammolite is a very rare gemstone with dazzling colors. Quite delicate in natural form this gem is cut in weird and wonderful shapes to show off the play-of-color and assembled in a protective triplet or doublet.

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Boulder Opal

Boulder Opals are vibrant reds, oranges and blues bursting out from dark organic-looking rocky backgrounds. Being attached to its original natural stone gives them the strength to be used in any jewelry setting.

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Charoite

Charoite is one of our newer gemstones and at the moment is only found in Russia. Its lovely lavenders and pretty purples combined with swirling patterns make this a very appealing gemstone for one-off jewelry designs.

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Chrysocolla

Chrysocolla displays lovely blue and green colors on reddish brown or black backgrounds with irregular patterns making this gemstone even more unique. It is let down a little by being only 5 on the Mohs scale of hardness but they make fantastic pendants and earrings.

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Druzy Gemstones

Druzy gemstones are tiny mineral crystals which are attached to the surface of another mineral. They look as though they are still forming or are tumbling out of the rock's centre and make truly unique jewelry. There are a few varieties including amethyst, azurite, agate and hemimorphite.

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Fire Agate

Fire Agate is an agate, but deserves a spot on our list all by itself for its gorgeous waxy luster and iridescent play of color as well. It is often cut and polished into odd shapes in all 3 dimensions which makes this gemstone particularly unique.

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Fossil Coral

Fossil coral is a fascinating gemstone created by millions of years of fossilization of natural sea coral by agate. In the best examples the delicate patterns of ancient coral stand out beautifully. Regular Coral also makes a great gemstone for unique jewelry but at only 4 on the Mohs hardness scale it may be a bit fragile.

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Jasper

Jasper is a hard gemstone decorated with stripes, spots and a multitude of colors. It polishes up wonderfully and has such a variety of looks and patterns it is hard to believe they are all the same gemstone.

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Labradorite

Labradorite has an almost other worldly glow about it, so much so that the native Inuit of Canada felt the northern lights were contained within this rare gemstone. Spectrolite is a trade name for the stunning labradorite variety found only in Finland.

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Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli is the quintessentially blue gemstone used throughout history as decoration and for its spiritual powers and influence. The bright blues with flecks of gold are particularly attractive.

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Larimar

Larimar is a fascinating blue or turquoise gemstone with a creamy white background that is only really found in the Caribbean island of the Dominican Republic. Its name comes from the man who discovered it daughter's name, Larissa, and the Spanish word for the sea, Mer.

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Obsidian

Obsidian is a form of volcanic glass and is a dark gemstone with interesting patterns especially beautiful in the variety known as Snowflake Obsidian. It has a very interesting history having been used as a surgical blade in Neolithic times!

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Rhodochrosite

Rhodochrosite is also a little low on the Mohs hardness scale at just 4 but with care taken in choosing your style of jewelry this pale red or pink gemstone with zigzag stripes and bands will make a really eye-catching piece.

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Rutile Quartz

Rutile Quartz and its quite similar cousin, Quartz with Marcasite, are just about the only transparent members of our list of gemstones. This clarity allows these quartzes to show off the amazing inclusions trapped with the gemstone.

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Seraphinite

Seraphinite is the softest gemstone to make our list but its color and pattern is so alluring you will be inspired to make a special exception for this wonderful stone. It has a deep green background which looks as though an artist has painted white feathers on its smooth surface.

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Sugilite

Sugilite is a newish member of the gemstone world, only discovered and categorized in the 1940s. Bright purples and violets flare on a dark background in this gorgeous gemstone.

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Tiger's Eye

Tiger's Eye is a classic golden brown gemstone much loved and used around the world. It is related to Hawk's Eye and Pietersite gemstones, comes in a variety of sizes and shapes and is hard enough for most jewelry.

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Odd Shaped Gems Ranking Charts