It's been a very interesting discussion, and I certainly appreciate the seller stepping up to discuss the beads. But there is no question in my mind that these are not an organic material. I've seen many strands of these large, high quality, amber reproductions in Morocco and other places. Real copal is a very different beast. Copal generally doesn't come in sizes that large (particularly that wide), it doesn't polish the way those beads shine, it doesn't include angular blocks in the material, cutting marks, etc.

And don't discount the wisdom of the mass market. People clearly recognize these beads as fake, given the fact that there are no bids. That being said, $10-15 a bead strikes me as a very fair price for nice quality reproductions.


And just for fun, here are a couple of repaired copal beads that I really love.


Abe @ Beadstore.com