In recent years, Chinese beadmakers have—with considerable cunning—made gazillions of fake turquoise beads from treated magnesite. The magnesite itself is opaque white and featureless. First, they have to add the "matrix" that consists of irregular dark lines suggesting the random matrix lines of actual turquoise; and then they have to dye (or artificially color) the stone blue-green. A great deal of this material is also hardened through some process that may be something like plasticization (but remains a secret).

This work has become better and better each year. Magnesite has been chosen because, unlike other materials, the coloring agent percolates all through the stone, uniformly coloring it throughout. (Many other dyed stones remain white (or whatever) in their interiors.)

I selected the present beads because I thought they were both realistic-looking and beautiful. Each in its own way. However, looking at them through a lens, they fare less well.

Still, who can beat $6. a strand?

JDA.