Posted 7 years ago
AnythingOb…
(1778 items)
I came across a small bagful of these tiny (all roughly 1/8" w and 1/4" long) teardrop shaped beads a few years ago, already 'loose'. Being struck with how pretty they are (and after a quick trip to the hobby store) I strung them into 3 necklaces of 20pc each, on jewelry wire between likewise tiny stainless beads. I believe they must be crafted of some variety of purple "gem" stone (could they really be amethysts??) but fully admit that jewelry and gemstones are *far* from my personal expertise -- one way or the other they do really seem to be of 'something much better than glass' quality.
They are all an absolutely gorgeous translucent deep purple color, and each one seems to be individually cut/faceted. Photos here truly don't do them justice though I tried *multiple* ways to take the pics...one thing in particular I was unable to catch with the camera is how beautifully they actually sparkle in real sunlight. (alas, it was cloudy today...)
If anybody would happen to have a clue to share about what these really might be (or could have been, etc. etc.) I'd SURE love to hear your thoughts?!!
EDIT -- I have substituted a new (#4) pic in, which hopefully will help to accurately show the color of these beads in a more 'natural' light.
In the artificial light they are looking more like garnets, but if the true color is purple, there is no reason they could not be genuine amethyst. It is not an expensive stone & the beads are rather roughly cut. Many/most appear to have lost the little sharp tip of the teardrop, so possible these were discards. Beads like this are sold by the strand, & there are always some that are less than perfect or that break while being strung.
Thank you very much for your kind comment, cameosleuth! :-) Their color really is more 'amethyst purple' than 'garnet red' even though my (bad light) pics don't show it well. Also, all the teardrop 'tips' are actually ground off uniformly -- or at least as uniformly as the rest of the faceting work. I'll keep trying to get better photos! :-)
Thanks so much to fortapache, Trey, TassieDevil, and aura for your <love>!!
:-) :-) :-) :-)
I've just substituted in a new #4 photo, hopefully better showing the real color (and detail) of these beads in more natural lighting.