Gemstone Wholesalers: The Six Types and How Each One Prices Its Stock

Gemstone wholesalers are not one kind of business. A bead house, a tumbled stone supplier, a mineral specimen dealer and a cut gem dealer all call themselves wholesalers. They sell different things, in different units, to different buyers. This guide sorts them into six types and shows how each one prices its stock. It also gives you a simple way to compare quotes, so you can tell which kind fits your shop.

A disclosure first: Stonebridge Imports, the company behind this blog, is a wholesale crystal supplier in Kitchener, Ontario, selling to shops, studios, makers and schools since 2002. We stock lines from all six types below, some in depth and some in small numbers. Read this as a map, and use it on us as much as on anyone else.

The six types of gemstone wholesalers

The easiest way to sort gemstone wholesalers is by what leaves the warehouse, because the product decides the selling unit, and the unit decides how you compare prices.

Online marketplaces sit beside all six. They are useful for spotting what exists. But the seller behind a listing can be any of these types, or a reseller of one, so the questions in this guide still apply.

How gemstone wholesalers price their stock

Most confusion between quotes comes from units, not prices. Here is what each unit means and the conversion that makes two quotes comparable. When we checked our own shelf for this guide in November 2026, every one of these units was in use somewhere on it.

• Per strand. Bead strands are sold by length and bead size. Our gemstone bead strands come as 15-inch strands in 4, 6 and 8 mm (plain, matte and faceted), 7-inch bracelet-length strands, and 32-inch chip strands. To compare, work out the price per bead: a 15-inch strand is about 381 mm, so divide by the bead size for a rough count.
• Per pound. Most of our wholesale tumbled stones are sold in 1 lb bags, some in half-pound bags, in grades from Extra Small to Extra Large. Each product lists the number of stones per size. As a guide, a 1 lb bag of medium stones holds about 25 to 60. Divide the bag price by the count and you have a cost per stone.
• Per kilo or per box. Rough material is often quoted by weight. A kilo is about 2.2 pounds, so a per-pound price and a per-kilo price are not the same number. A per-pound price that looks like a per-kilo price is more than twice as expensive. Our rough chunk boxes run from 5 kg to 25 kg, and some chip bags are sold by grams, such as 500 g.
• Per piece. Specimens and statement pieces are priced one by one, usually with a size range in inches. Look for a photo with a coin or ruler, because "medium" means different things at different suppliers.
• By carat. Cut stones and cabochons are weighed in carats, and one carat is 0.2 grams. Some dealers price per carat; others sell per piece within a carat range. Our Super 7 cabochons, for example, are sold per piece in classes such as 4 to 12 carats and 13 to 20 carats.

The rule under all of it: convert every quote to cost per sellable piece on your shelf, shipping included. Cheap rough that you must sort, clean and bag is not the same as graded stones you can put straight into a bowl.

Which kind of gemstone wholesaler fits your shop?

Start from what your customer buys, then find the wholesaler type that sells it in a unit you can handle.

• Jewellery makers need bead wholesalers and cut gemstone dealers: consistent bead sizes, honest enhancement labels and a strand length that matches their designs. Our page on wholesale crystals for jewelry making covers strands, chips and findings in one place.
• Gift shops and boutiques do best with tumbled stones, hearts and small points: low price per piece, quick to merchandise, easy to restock by size grade.
• Rock shops and collectors' shelves need specimen dealers. Here you buy piece by piece, and photos, sizes and locality information matter more than any per-pound number.
• Crafters and resin makers want rough chips and chunks by weight, in small sizes that fit a mould.
• Schools want labelled sets of common rocks and minerals at a classroom quantity. See rocks and minerals for schools.

Many new shops start with one mixed crystal wholesaler because a single account covers several lines, then add a specialist once one category starts to sell in volume. Our guide to where crystal shops get their crystals explains when it makes sense to move from domestic wholesalers to gem shows and direct imports.

Can I make money reselling stock from a gemstone wholesaler?

Yes, when you price per piece and the piece cost is low compared with what your customers will pay for it. The unit you buy in decides how you get there:

1. Tumbled stones by the pound. Divide the bag price by the stone count on the product page. That cost per stone is the number you mark up, not the bag price. Tumbled stones are the classic starter line for this reason: one bag fills a bowl with dozens of pieces.
2. Bead strands. A loose strand sells to other makers. The same strand made into bracelets sells as gifts, and a 15-inch strand of round beads makes about two 7-inch stretch bracelets. Our guide to buying beads wholesale in Canada walks through the strand maths.
3. Rough by weight. Rough earns its margin when you add work: sorting the best pieces to sell singly, bagging mixed chips, or using them in finished crafts. Count your time before you buy a box.
4. Specimens by the piece. These have the widest price range and the slowest sale. Buy fewer, buy better, and price each one on its own.

Then check the price you set. Our guide to crystal markup vs margin shows how to turn a cost per piece into a shelf price that leaves the margin you want.

What is moving on our shelf right now gives you a starting point. When this guide was written, our tumbled stone bulk order page had 181 products in stock online. The bead strand shelf had 107, our rough chips had 79 and our mineral specimens had 65. Among the tumbled stones, rose quartz, clear quartz, amethyst, carnelian and hematite were the best sellers.

Read the labels before you compare prices

Two stones with the same name can be very different products. A good gemstone wholesaler tells you what has been done to a stone, and you should copy that label onto your own tag. On our shelf you will see words like Heat-Treated (some citrine), Enhanced (some chalcopyrite chips) and Synthetic (man-made material) in the product title. These are legitimate products when they are labelled. The problem is only ever a missing label.

Four more checks make quotes comparable:

• Grade words. If a supplier sells A and B grades, ask what the difference is. A grade word they cannot describe is not information.
• Size photos. Look for a coin or ruler in the picture. Our fluorite chip photo, for example, shows the stones beside a Canadian dime.
• Minimums. A low price behind a high minimum order can cost more than a higher price you can buy in small amounts while you learn what sells. Stonebridge has no minimum order.
• Delivery. Overseas quotes leave out freight, duties and brokerage. Our guide to importing crystals into Canada lists the costs that sit between a price list and your shelf.

For a Canadian shop, a domestic supplier removes most of the delivery questions: you pay in Canadian dollars and there is no border paperwork. Stonebridge orders ship from Kitchener in 2 to 5 business days. If that is what you are after, start with our page on wholesale crystals in Canada.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find gemstone wholesalers in Canada?

Stonebridge Imports is a Canadian wholesale supplier in Kitchener, Ontario, selling tumbled stones, bead strands, rough chips, specimens and other crystal lines to shops, studios, makers and schools. There is no minimum order, and orders ship in 2 to 5 business days.

How do gemstone wholesalers price their stock?

It depends on the product. Bead strands are priced per strand, tumbled stones usually per pound, rough material per bag, kilo or box, specimens per piece, and cut stones per piece or by carat weight. Convert each quote to a cost per sellable piece before you compare.

Do I need a business licence to buy from a gemstone wholesaler?

Rules vary by supplier. At Stonebridge, no resale licence or tax ID is needed to open a wholesale account, and accounts are approved in about a business day.

Is there a minimum order with gemstone wholesalers?

Many wholesalers set one, and some quote low prices only above a high minimum. Stonebridge has no minimum order, which lets a new shop test a few lines before buying deeper.

How can I tell if wholesale gemstones are natural?

Read the supplier's label and ask what has been done to the stone. On our shelf, words like Heat-Treated, Enhanced and Synthetic appear in product titles. Copy the label onto your own tag so customers know what they are buying.

Stock it for your shop

Stonebridge has no minimum order and ships from Kitchener, Ontario. Open a wholesale account or plan your opening order.