Rare, Expensive, Natural, Genuine - not Dyed - GORGEOUS red!
Great colors in these rare AAA grade red Spiny Oyster rondelle beads approximately in the size stated in the title. Price is for the 10 rare color oyster beads shown in the photo (randomly). I get requests from many buyers asking if they can purchase a small amount of these expensive beads to use as highlighters in their designs ... here's your chance!
There is more than one photo of the beads your set of 10 beads will come from - just to show you their quality at different angles - & are for your reference only. These beads all have their natural pitting which is common in oyster beads and very desirable for some ... though these are pretty clean of that pitting. I do not know if these are all hand-cut or machine-cut. This picture is enlarged to show detail.
Spiny Oyster, Spondylus Princeps Broderip, is found in the Sea of Cortez Baja California Mexico. It appears in the lower Baja California Sur Mexico. It was discovered in 1976 and began to be exported for jewelry making use in the Southwest by Indian Crafts people. The shell comes in a variety of colors but mainly in shades of red, orange, and purple; sometimes yellow and white. Spondylus Calcifer commonly called Giant Pacific Rock Oyster is a purple that is found in water from 0-60 ft. After 60ft of water the white Spondylus appears and goes down to 90ft of water. After 90ft of water the reds and the oranges appear.
The name Spondylus is a Latin word that means spines on it's back. Broderip was the name of the Scientist who traveled with Cortez when Baja California was discovered and explored. The name Princep was given to this shell because when Cortez presented his marine discovers to the king of Spain, who financed his expedition, the kings daughter fell in love with the shell. Therefore, the shell was named the after the Princess.