I believe these are quite old & I agree with some of the previous responses that they have a good value. I've seen similar, perhaps more ancient, from a very reputable bead dealer on Ebay. I can't for the life of me remember his name, but let me check it out & try to locate for you. I'll reply as soon as I find his site. Don't worry about what jewelery stores tell you. Amber is appreciated for such different reasons to different people. His perspective is a common one, but we all know different! :) Lynne