Bumble Bee, "Jasper", Natural, Faceted Round, One 4mm Strand

Bumble Bee, "Jasper", Natural, Faceted Round, 4mm Strand.

This price is for one strand 15 to 16 inches long. 

 4mm strands have 90 to 95 pieces.

Bumble Bee is not a true Jasper, but a stone called Travertine and has a calcite base making it a soft, but brilliantly colored stone. The material is made of radially grown fibrous calcite with a distinctive yellow, orange, and black banding. The lovely patterns on this stone often imitate the coloring found on bumblebees, therefore the name.

Bumble Bee is formed from a mixture of volcanic matter, anhydrite, hematite, sulfur, arsenic, etc. This carbonate-rich rock was first discovered on the island of West Java, Indonesia during the 1990s. The yellow coloring is due to the presence of sulfur, which is toxic, as is arsenic, so care should be taken always wash your hands after handling, especially with lapidary work.

 Hardness 5

This is a natural stone that has had no treatment other than cutting, drilling, and polishing.

The source of these beads is Indonesia and they are cut, drilled and polished in China.