Heard from Jamey and he's pretty sure the bead isn't real due to how it is manufactured. Real seal beads are made in a rotary fashion and my bead appears to be made with an edged tool such as a cutting wheel. He did call it a clever reproduction, though. Jamey has posted a great primer on seal beads. After reading it, I am pretty sure that this seal bead is a reproduction, although Mike sure made it look pretty in his photograph. For the record, I have no monetary investment in these seal beads. This seal probably came from Afghanistan.