I decided to give myself a challenge and produce long stone beads this year. I have gone back to batch production which entails making a few hundred bead preforms then pausing to drill them all and when that is completed the finishing begins. I cheat and drill and finish a few that I find interesting. Here are three.

Yellow jacket jasper bead, Washington. 62 mm long, 2.5 mm hole

Long bead of a mix of grossular garnet, diopside, and idocrase. 56 mm long (2.5 inches), 2.5 mm hole

These two are rough from local to me stones.