| Original Message: Mistaken Identity |
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Hi Carlene, I believe this is a strand of new magnesite beads from China. They appear to have been "beaten up" to look old. Magnesite from China (such as your beads) are currently being marketed as "white turquoise." I saw them at several locations last year and this year at the Tucson shows. They are also dyed bright green or bluish-green, to look like turquoise, and then are a VERY realistic imitation. I have specimens of both sorts—and I am preparing an article on this topic for the newsletter of The Bead Museum. Since we know that new Chinese beads are infiltrating into the inventories of African bead sellers, we should not be surprised to see these beads in this context. Whereas they are typically associated with turquoise in an Asian context, it's not a stretch to assume they will be misrepresented as "amazonite" (however spelled or presented), from a supposedly "African" context. Next week, I hope to post my photos from Tucson—and I will show these things then. Take care. Jamey Jamey All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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