Found in grandparents storage

[Adam0000]

Was told it's possible opal and a few hundred years old, what's your thoughts and what could it be worth, thanks in advance

 

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[DizzyDigger]

Whatever they are, they look to be machined to me, and definitely
not opal.

 

[freeman]

More like $2.99 on eBay with free postage from Shanghai.

 

[Adam0000]

Lol

 

[A2coins]

Just go to a jeweler they should be able to tell you

 

[A2coins]

Welcome to tnet

 

[Adam0000]

Welcome to tnet

Thank you

 

[Mackaydon]

sorta like this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/591794...apTwv8Boux-96fe6xvAA7J6CaG-rFs7xoCwIMQAvD_BwE

Or this: https://factorydirectcraft.com/cata...eW6Qv5ArXA669d1WsTUaXdiHbEG-L_cBoCXGMQAvD_BwE
Don.....

 

[Red-Coat]

Welcome to T-net.

I won’t be quite so disparaging about your item, but it’s certainly not made from opal and neither is it hundreds of years old.

There are 27 beads, so I would think it’s a ‘mala’… a string of prayer beads commonly used in Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist and Shinto religions. Their equivalent to a rosary.

A full mala necklace has 108 beads plus sometimes a 109th one of a distinctive size or colour but ‘pocket malas’ or ‘mala bracelets’ commonly have 27 or 54 beads and occasionally other multiples of 9 as a ‘sacred number’.

In more recent times the beads are often in the form of skulls and machine carved from things like ox-bone. If those are carved then they could be vintage to modern, but even vintage ones don’t have a value beyond about $50. If they’re moulded from resin or plastic then the value is zilch. Moulded ones can be readily identified from the fact that all of the beads in a string will be identical or at least a string of them will contain multiple beads which are identical to one another.

 

[Adam0000]

Welcome to T-net.

I won’t be quite so disparaging about your item, but it’s certainly not made from opal and neither is it hundreds of years old.

There are 27 beads, so I would think it’s a ‘mala’… a string of prayer beads commonly used in Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist and Shinto religions. Their equivalent to a rosary.

A full mala necklace has 108 beads plus sometimes a 109th one of a distinctive size or colour but ‘pocket malas’ or ‘mala bracelets’ commonly have 27 or 54 beads and occasionally other multiples of 9 as a ‘sacred number’.

In more recent times the beads are often in the form of skulls and machine carved from things like ox-bone. If those are carved then they could be vintage to modern, but even vintage ones don’t have a value beyond about $50. If they’re moulded from resin or plastic then the value is zilch. Moulded ones can be readily identified from the fact that all of the beads in a string will be identical or at least a string of them will contain multiple beads which are identical to one another.

Thank you for your reply. You are correct it is a mala however the material is unknown to me. Seems like you have great knowledge. I will have to get it seen to by someone in person i guess. I was told ivory then opel, i was relieved its not ivory as it may become a legal issues.

 

[Adam0000]

 

[RustyGold]

If they were hand carved beads then each one would look different. Definitely not opal.

 

[kingvegan]

they look hand crafted to me. My guess would be bone.

 

[pepperj]

I have seen them now manufactured in plastic resin. Back in 1992 I bought strings of skull beads made of bone, dyed an amber brown. I'll take a pic of one when I see the sample board of beads. If I can remember right I think I got them in India.

 

[Adam0000]

I have seen them now manufactured in plastic resin. Back in 1992 I bought strings of skull beads made of bone, dyed an amber brown. I'll take a pic of one when I see the sample board of beads. If I can remember right I think I got them in India.

These are also from india