Comments on: Can Someone Please Identify these Stones?

By: Carol C.

Carol C. — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 04:41:29 +0000

I don’t have any special bona fides to give weight to my opinion. But I have been beading and stringing for over 30 years and teaching for the last 10. Anyway, photos are the worst way to identify bead material. Size, color, what they cost and where purchased can help greatly in identification. Having said that, I will venture my best opinion. I believe all of the beads pictured are glass. They may be dyed or otherwise altered to mimic a stone, but the translucence of all the beads would suggest glass to me. I believe someone suggested a way to tell the difference between stone and glass. It is a legitimate test to determine material.
I hope you have found the comments useful. All best and happy beading!!

By: Lyone

Lyone — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 08:24:26 +0000

The opaque grey and white ones are definitely “wound glass”, very likely from India. I would venture to say the same for the other large stripey ones (the translucent and grey/black ones). This type of wound glass technique is also referred to as hurricane glass (I’m not sure why).

As far as the smaller transparent and white/grey ones–I think they are also glass, and (IMO) are the nicest beads in the picture. They are probably the rarest beads in the photo, due to their transparency, clarity, etc……and they may be of Japanese or West German origin (mid 20th cent.).

Because the white faceted beads have an obvious *seam* in the middle, we know they are also artificial (not stone), either glass or some variety of plastic. I can not really say which just from this photo.

By: Teresa

Teresa — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 03:14:27 +0000

I have been studying gemstones for a long time and please understand it is very difficult to tell a stone by a picture. So far you have gotten some pretty good advice. Without testing I would guess three, most likely, stones. 1st, Quartz, 2nd Agate, 3rd glass. One of the easiest and 1st test I do has already been mentioned. Hold the bead, (without much handling first), to your upper lip. Have a bead that you know is glass and one you know is stone to compare it to. If it is a stone it will be colder and stay colder longer than a glass bead. Sorry that I can’t be more specific, but there are so many types of stones. I hope it helps a little bit? One more thing, go to your local lapidary or rock shop. They can be a great help!

By: Nata

Nata — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 19:19:16 +0000

The striped beads do look like Zebra Jasper.

By: Natalie

Natalie — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 18:37:16 +0000

They also look like lampwork beads

By: DianaG

DianaG — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 18:09:42 +0000

These do not appear to be natural. Probably glass.

By: L

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 18:09:26 +0000

they appear to be glass…are they ice cold when held to the face? if not, they are not stone

By: Leslie hirschberg

Leslie hirschberg — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 15:32:21 +0000

Green ones look like vintage German glass that I have

By: Constantinescu Gabriela

Constantinescu Gabriela — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 14:59:01 +0000

It’s possible to be Tree Agate type, the big ones, and some kind of Quartz, the small nugget beads.

By: Linda Dyson

Linda Dyson — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 14:17:38 +0000

The striped ones look like a type of adventurine agate, with clear/opaque Quartz or agate accent stones. Adventurine agate is a green olive color, sometimes comes as a striped stone mixed with the clear or white Quartz. I love the green color, so I buy them sometimes.

By: Colleen

Colleen — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 13:57:58 +0000

Maybe zebra Quartz?

By: Nancy Peterson

Nancy Peterson — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 13:02:49 +0000

Maybe faux polymer clay agats and beads made with transulent clay. This is what I’ve been trying to learn with polymer clay.

By: cynthia

cynthia — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 12:35:27 +0000

Looks like banded agate!

By: Nancy

Nancy — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 11:08:56 +0000

Not botswana. Perhaps quartz? Or flourite? Some label unidentifiable stones as “confusite” … you could always do that! lol

By: Anne

Anne — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 10:35:31 +0000

If it’s not glass I guess it is some kind of Agate

By: Brenda Ash

Brenda Ash — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 10:10:16 +0000

botswana agate

By: Margaret

Margaret — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 10:08:40 +0000

Zebra Jasper?

By: Marianne

Marianne — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 10:05:56 +0000

I suppose they are green indian jade

By: Lawanna

Lawanna — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 09:59:15 +0000

They look like agate. Possible Botswana