Hi Furmosa - those are modern beads from India. They pack little turquoise chips into a black resin. Cool beads, but only valuable as costume jewelry.
Abe
My husband and his family lived in India for a year when he was a child, in 1961 or so. They gave me some beads like these, only mine are mostly round.
The older ones are certainly nicer than newer versions I've seen, but as Abe says, not particularly valuable. But I like 'em! :^)
Hello these are not the most recent versions. The stringing and clasp are good not cheap, but the coloured pieces inlaid in bitumen within the silver wire “cloisons” could be turquoise coloured stained bone .
See page 77 in my recent book: Beads - a history and collector’s guide-
Thank you all for your time and the information. :)
