6x7mm Topaz/Gold Luster Round Beads [50] (see Defects)

Cost per bead:

4 cents

Bead material:

Glass

Country of origin:

India

Size/shape:

7mm round (spherical), but not quite round:  6mm from hole to hole, 7mm wide.

Colors/description:

Translucent topaz beads with an iridescent gold-luster coating.

Hole size:

About 1.5mm (Indian beads usually have larger holes than Czech beads).

Defects:

These are Indian beads, so the shape isn't perfectly uniform from one bead to the next.  My examination of the beads didn't turn up many defects.  As I count the beads, I will eliminate any defective beads that I notice.

Important:  After four years of working with these beads, I suspect that the shiny surface may be coming off of them, but I am not sure.  There is a fine powdery substance covering the beads in the bag, and I think the powder may be the surface wearing off -- but again, I am not sure.  When I rub the powdery substance away, they appear shiny in places and dull in places.  They are not as shiny as the G1338 beads, which have the same coating (but which don't have any powder in the bag).  In other words, these beads may not have been made properly.  Because of this, I have reduced the price from $2.70 per lot to $2.00 per lot.

How photographed:

At the window in natural daylight.

Comments:

The supplier says these are clear beads with a "honey" coating, but they appear to be topaz to me, with a gold-luster coating.  Indian beads are always more rustic than Czech beads, but I like the look.  The picture, by the way, is a little dark.  The colors look so intense that you may think that I've pumped up the colors, but I actually toned them down a bit.  The beads are extremely bright.

(Be sure to read "Defects" above.)