Here is a another photo of the beads unstrung. What do you make of the holes? I took this photo with my phone and the color of the beads seems more accurate to me than the original photo. Another feature of the beads that really doesn't come across in the original photos is that the beads are not 100% opaque.... maybe 98%. There is a very, very, slight translucent quality to them.It may be visible on your screens but it is noticeable when they are held in natural light. Take a look at the very bottom bead and see the slight glow to it.

The cleaning of the beads was not very informative... it just looked like dirt, maybe a tiny bit harder to clean? Again, this photo actually shows the contrast between the dirt and the bead much better than the original.

As far as the wear patterns on the beads are concerned, I think my Mom thought they were so old that the ridges had been worn away where each bead would have had the most contact with the other.

Like all of us, I enjoy being right, but I'll be sorry if my Mom was wrong.