Man-made or Not?

I always believed that the “Strawberry Quartz” I was buying in the bead supply stores was truly quartz until I began research for this post. Low and behold--to my surprise, the "Strawberry Quartz" was actually not quartz at all. In fact it is really a unique form of glass created in China and India. It has a clear glass base with red or pink glass "hairs" swirled throughout the clear base.

The dishonest name was apparently invented by dealers. My question is…why the lie?? The material in and of itself is quite beautiful, the color unusual. I would have bought it if they called it glass.

Be that as it may…I love the beads and found wonderful ways of pairing them with pearls and silver. I incorporated Czech high-fire polish faceted beads with the leaf bead necklace. The center of the necklace is Mother-of-Pearl. The leaf beads I found were on eBay.

There is nothing wrong with using glass beads…most beads are made of glass. I purchase glass beads all of the time. So, what was the problem? I also love gemstones, as well. A bit pricier, but worth the beauty.