About Us

Magpie Gemstones is a direct importer, reseller, retailer and wholesaler of gemstone beads.

We are a small family owned business and we have been buying and selling beads for many years and making jewelry for even longer.

• Szarka Carter is the owner and is supported by;
• Kateri Stichart who sells magpie Gems at the gem shows.
• Gibby Kyote who takes the pictures.
• Pari Sandage who does the books.

You can meet them at the bottom of this page. Thanks for coming by to take a look.

Why are our prices so good?

We employ a direct-sales model that eliminates the middleman. With years of experience in the trade, many wonderful business partnerships and connections and an eye for quality, design, and price, the best beads are hand selected at the best price for you.

With Magpie Gemstones wholesale to the public you will receive 40%-50% savings over standard industry retail pricing without membership or faux wholesale gimmicks, and up to 30% off additionally. We do not make you jump through hoops to get wholesale prices on top quality product. You buy only what you need. No 10 strand minimums. We know that you need an assortment to succeed.

Be assured that we strive for the best quality that really does make a difference in your finished product. Our clients will tell you, check out our testimonials.

Our products often sell out as we choose the very best at the best price and sometimes that means we have few in stock. The items on this website can usually not be replaced. They are unique and of excellent value. If you see something you like or need we strongly recommend getting them now and getting the amount you need. The nature of gemstones also limits the ability to always replicate a certain stone, cut, or patterning. You maybe able to get them somewhere else but not at this quality and price.

We work under a sustainable and transparent business model. This means we make the best decisions based on what is in the best interest of everyone we interact with from our suppliers, the Earth, our community and our clients. If we all succeed in a good way then we will continue to support one another and everyone succeeds.

Wholesale quality turquoise and gemstone beads at very competitive prices and excellent customer service are what you receive from Turquoise Magpie Gemstones. Click here to read our mission statement.

About You

Professional jewelry designers need to purchase quality low priced beads to be competitive in todays jewelry market. Our promise is to provide quality beads and gemstones at wholesale prices so you can succeed at making your successful jewelry business a reality. Our beads and products really do make a difference in how your product is received.  

As a jewelry designer you want to know what you are selling to your customers. We disclose all treatments to stones such as being dyed, stabilized, or heat enhanced to the best of our ability and knowledge. We have been in the trade for years and we make it our business to stay abreast of current treatments and procedures.

We ensure that the gems are of the best quality for the price because we take pride and a lot of effort to hand pick the finest beads. We do not just choose a stone and let the vendor fill our order. If we must order beads from a distributor to fill a custom order we will send back any beads that do not meet our high quality standards. It is hard to buy online and not see gemstones in person and we understand that. I attempt to be my client's eyes so they can be assured they are getting good quality.

As a bead buyer you want to know you are getting the best price and that the beads you purchased will get to you quickly and that they will be what you want them to be. All products at Turquoise Magpie Gemstones have a money back guarantee.

After payment is received, your order is shipped within 24 hours Monday through Friday for U.S. orders and within 48 hours on International orders. There is no shipping on holidays or weekends.

Welcome to Turquoise Magpie's Magpie Gemstones. We hope you will agree that the beads are beautiful, the prices are amazing and the selection creates the perfect pallet for you to create beautiful pieces that will wake up the world.

About Szarka

Szarka Carter - Owner, Designer and Purchasing

I am a self proclaimed beadaholic and crazed bead hoarder and slinger. I started selling jewelry professionally in 1990 in  galleries, art shows and farmers markets part time while working as a family therapist. I then traveled for seven years, selling  jewelry, beads, hand made clothing, and stones at festivals and fairs.

When I quit traveling, I couldn't stop buying turquoise and gemstones from the excellent suppliers I had met and formed relationships with over the years, so I sold some on eBay, and www.turquoisemagpie.com was born in 2005. Now with suppliers that have factories in India and Hong Kong I started offering gems and beads wholesale to the trade on this website.

I have the hands on experience to know what sells in jewelry, the ability to spot a great deal, and the eye to pick the best quality. Many bead slingers have never been on the other end, making jewelry for a living. I think I bring an expertise that many others can not. I know how hard it is to find the exceptional that not everyone will have at a price that can support a jewelry artist in succeeding.

Szarka's designs can be seen on her jewelry website and in her blog.

Go to the clients blog to take a peek at the wonderful pieces of wearable art customers have created.

About Kateri

Kateri Stichart - Gem Shows

I didn't grow up wanting to work with beads and gems, but after being involved with Turquoise Magpie for so long now, I can't imagine life with out them.

I was living in Northeast Washington when I was 15, and met Szarka when I became her daughter's Taekwon-Do instructor. She was crocheting, (really fast!) and this caught my eye. I asked if she would teach me, and now a few years later I only know one crochet stitch, but I know whole lot about the gem trade!

I was finishing college at the time, and after graduating in 2007. I came to Texas, taking on more responsibility in the business, and soon after started doing shows. I was the warehouse manager for years, took care of pulling orders and getting the gems shipped to you. Presently I run my own gem show business and sell exclusively Magpie beauties.

I love what I do, traveling to new places, and helping our clients find the perfect beads for their creations. It's a rewarding and fun experience being able to connect with other bead lovers, and sharing my passion with them.

Gem shows also have a great atmosphere, full of rock hounds who never hesitate to share their knowledge. I know they've taught me a lot.

Take a look at our show page to see where I will be taking the beads next. It's always an adventure, and I love getting to meet you all in person.

About Pari

Pari Sandage - Book Keeper and Business Mentor

I am the nerd of the group, although I do have a creative side.

In my former life I acquired a degree in Computer Information Systems and managed to make a living as a computer programmer for many years. I then decided that I wanted to do accounting instead and so I went back to college to get a degree in accounting.

I’ve spent the last 20 years playing with numbers and money since I like it so much. This has given me the experience to be able to find and fix most any bookkeeping/accounting problem.

My alter ego is the creative one. I have been involved in fiber arts (knitting, sewing, embroidery, tatting, and especially quilting) since I was six and my mom taught me to sew. I have narrowed my current hobby down to quilting. I found that quilting is a lot like accounting in that they are both puzzles and I really enjoy puzzles. I love trying to figure out how to get the picture in my head out to the real world.

I met Szarka several years ago when she came to the homeschool play group I was a part of. We started talking about business. She was looking for someone to help her get things ready for the CPA for the tax return. Since that is what I do it was a good fit.

I show up regularly and keep everything straight with the state and the IRS and make sure everything gets to the CPA on time. I also like to just hang out at her house.

For more information about my helping you set up your business or keep track of your profits contact me at FairyGodmotherFinance@gmail.com

About Gibby

Gibby Kyote - Photographer

I have been told most of my life I have rocks in my head. I don't know about that, yet I do know I have a great appreciation for minerals and stones and their amazing beauty and energies.

My belief is everything is alive, including rocks, and they all have stories to tell and messages to give. It's up to me to "hear" the stories and messages.

I take pictures for the web site, doing my best to capture the natural beauty of what I see through the lens of the camera. This is seldom possible, capturing the depth of character of some stones, or their subtle nuances.

If anything, I hope a client says, "wow, these are much better looking than the picture" than saying, "these don't look nearly as good as the picture". I believe in honesty and integrity and hopefully the photographs reflect this, as well as every other aspect of Magpie Gemstones.

Thanks for taking the time to check us out. We are looking forward to forming a long and mutually rewarding relationship with you.