Lava Stone: the only thing I set that was once on fire

Twelve pieces in the shop are strung with lava stone, always alongside something else — tiger's eye, lapis, chrysocolla, hematite, turquoise. Made and strung in Nashville, to order. Below: why lava isn't a gemstone at all, what that porousness is actually good for, and everything I use it in.

What lava stone actually is

Lava stone is basalt. Molten rock that came out of the ground, cooled fast, and trapped gas bubbles on the way to going solid. Those trapped bubbles are the entire character of the material: the surface is matte, pitted and dry to the touch, and it weighs less than it looks like it should.

It is not a gemstone. There is no crystal structure to admire, no color to grade, no clarity to argue about. It is rock that was recently on fire, and I like it for exactly that.

The beads are cut and tumbled from solid basalt rather than Molded, which is worth knowing — some cheap "lava" beads are pressed composite.

What the porousness is actually for

Here is the practical part nobody mentions when they sell you a lava bracelet.

Lava stone is porous enough to hold a liquid. Put a drop of essential oil on a bead, rub it in, and the stone holds the scent for a day or two, then takes another drop when it fades. That is not folklore. It is capillary action in a rock full of holes, and it is the reason lava beads turn up in aromatherapy jewelry constantly.

The same porousness is why lava is the one material in the shop I would tell you to keep away from perfume and lotion unless you mean it. It will take on whatever you put near it and it does not easily give it back.

Use that deliberately or keep it clean. Either works. Just know which one you are doing.

Beaded bracelet with black, blue, and gray beads, arranged on a gray background.
A string of mixed black and brown beads with a few white beads, resting on a weathered wooden surface with green grass blades on either side.

Strung with lava stone

Strung with Lava stone, each one made to order.

What I pair it with, and why

Lava never carries a piece on its own. Set against tiger's eye, lapis, chrysocolla, the matte black gives the polished stone something to push against. That contrast is the whole point of using it.

How I work with it

Lava is soft and light, so it goes on strands rather than into bezels. It would be the wrong material to try to set in silver — there is nothing to polish and nothing to catch the light.

What it does instead is carry the rhythm of a strand. I use it to break up runs of polished stone so a bracelet reads as intervals rather than continuous shine, with sterling spacers between to keep the strand from going dull.

Every strand I make is strung to be restrung. Beads outlive cord, always.

A beaded bracelet and a ring with black volcanic and striped brown and black beads, with silver spacer beads, laid on a gray surface.

Looking after it

Keep it dry. A dry soft cloth is usually all it needs — lava does not take a polish and does not need one.

Don't soak it. Water goes into the pores and takes a long time to come back out, and anything dissolved in that water stays behind.

Off before the gym, the pool and the shower. If you are using it for oils, one drop is plenty; more just makes the cord greasy.

View more product care

Questions I get about lava stone

Is lava stone a crystal?
No, and that is the honest answer. It is volcanic basalt — a rock, not a mineral with a crystal structure. If someone is selling you lava on crystal-energy grounds, they are stretching.

Can I put essential oils on it?
Yes, that is what the porousness is for. A drop rubbed into a bead holds a scent for a day or two. Keep the oil off the cord and off the silver.

Will it wear out?
The stone won't. The cord will, eventually — that is what restringing is for,

Can you make something specific with lava?
Yes — commissions start with a conversation, so just submit a commission request And if you’re buying for someone else and aren’t sure of their size, a gift card lets them tell me.