Small Pearls

Freshwater Pearl Beads in very small sizes—4mm or smaller—are very popular. Due to the large number of beads on the strand, a lot of work is involved in preparing the pearls. You will see this fabrication cost reflected in the strand price. They are worth it - you'll love these pearls for delicate designs and as spacers between larger pearls. They are also a nice size for bead appliqué on special projects such as beaded bags or bridal dresses or veils.

Small pearls have very small holes: if using a stranded wire product such as Beadalon for stringing, use .012" or thinner. Thread size for most pearls on this page is usually #2; ultra-small pearls may need #1 or an even smaller thread size.

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Featured Pearls

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$11.40 per strand

$9.69 each at 10 strands or more

$7.98 each at 50 strands or more

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$11.40 per strand

$9.69 each at 10 strands or more

$7.98 each at 50 strands or more

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$8.60 per strand

$7.31 each at 10 strands or more

$6.02 each at 50 strands or more

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$9.80 per strand

$8.33 each at 10 strands or more

$6.86 each at 50 strands or more

Rice, Peacock, Tiny seed pearls, 2-2.5x2mm, 1 Strand

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$11.40 per strand

$9.69 each at 10 strands or more

$7.98 each at 50 strands or more

Rice, White, Tiny seed pearls, 2-2.5x1.7mm, 1 Strand

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$18.00 per strand

$15.30 each at 10 strands or more

$12.60 each at 50 strands or more

rice, natural, tiny seed pearls, 2.5x1.7mm

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$15.00 per strand

$12.75 each at 10 strands or more

$10.50 each at 50 strands or more

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$7.20 per strand

$6.12 each at 10 strands or more

$5.04 each at 50 strands or more

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$7.80 per strand

$6.63 each at 10 strands or more

$5.46 each at 50 strands or more

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$5.40 per strand

$4.59 each at 10 strands or more

$3.78 each at 50 strands or more

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$7.50 per strand

$6.37 each at 10 strands or more

$5.25 each at 50 strands or more

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$5.25 per strand

$4.46 each at 10 strands or more

$3.68 each at 50 strands or more

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$6.15 per strand

$5.22 each at 10 strands or more

$4.30 each at 50 strands or more

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$5.50 per strand

$4.67 each at 10 strands or more

$3.85 each at 50 strands or more

How Many Pearls on a Strand?

Pearls are typically strung on temporary strands measuring 16 inches in length. In metric measurements, this is equivalent to about 400mm. The table below is based on dividing the strand length by the average length on the drilled dimension of the pearl. This table gives you an approximate number of pearls you may expect to see on a typical strand - actual pearl counts can vary from this estimate.

Drilled Dimension (average)	How many Pearls on a Strand
1.5mm	266
2mm	200
2.5mm	160
3mm	133
3.5mm	114
4mm	100
4.5mm	89
5mm	80

Pearl buying tips:

Freshwater Pearls are sold by the strand. Strands are usually 16" long (40 cm), but sometimes can be as short as 15.5". They are temporarily strung on thread or mono filament cord.

We try to stock pearl styles that can be restocked, or where very similar pearls are readily available. Since pearls are a "natural product", some styles and colors will be available only in limited amounts and may not be available again. It is best to purchase all the strands that you need for a particular project all at the same time.

Please be aware that you usually get what you pay for with Freshwater Pearls! In other words, the higher the price, the nicer the pearls. Higher priced pearls will be more consistent in color and shape and will have better luster. Pearl prices also tend to be higher for very small pearls (more labor to prepare the strands) or very large pearls (more rare and they take longer to culture).

The fresh water pearls we sell are cultured pearls; for more information about the pearl culturing process please see the All About Pearls page. For more tips and information about selecting and buying Freshwater Pearls, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions about Freshwater Pearls.