I've had a selection like the round one with a "star" on it, as well as one with a carved African man (similar to yours) for a long time, a dear friend would have purchased them in the late 80s...the strange thing about them is they all have a funny odor I can't describe - it's not revolting or anything, but it's just weird. I have a broken piece of one of these, and the inside is sort of beige, and hard to damage with my fingernail.

Just a couple of months ago I found a full strand just like your graduated white "floral" one, complete with the little ones at the back with concentric circles. Along with the white, I got a full strand pretty much the same, but black. The black coating has chipped off of a couple of the beads and the inside is exactly the same as the white beads. A couple of the white beads are broken and are showing themselves to be rather fragile - the substance is rather "chalky" and I can easily scrape bits of it with my fingernail....this material seems much lighter, less dense, than the ones from Tanzania.

Do you really think they are the very same material? I would have thought the floral ones to be some sort of casein rather then meerschaum....

Thanks, Stefany! I will try to get an image of mine this weekend.