This article examines stone beads and production debris from the 2007-2008 excavations at the site of Pattanam in South India. An analysis of finished beads and debitage indicates that the bead assemblage at Pattanam is distinct from other bead production sites in southern India, namely Arikamedu and Kodumanal. Bead producers at Pattanam focused largely on agate, carnelian, and chalcedony materials, with beads having been manufactured using the “pecking” method. Scholar Peter Francis, Jr., had previously argued that there were two technological traditions of stone bead production in South India, which were associated with two different cultural/ethnic groups. Evidence from Pattanam challenges this assertion, arguing that different ethnic groups did not exclusively work with particular raw materials or manufacturing methods.