Using semi-precious gemstone beads for jewelry making allows you to use beautiful stones to create beautiful, wearable works of art. If you are going to pay for and use gemstone beads in your work, however, you want to make sure those stones are authentic and high quality. How can you tell that you are looking at a quality gemstone bead? Here are a few tricks for determining the quality of the semi-precious gemstone beads you hope to purchase.