Probably glass, shine a light through them and if you see tiny bubbles- glass for sure.

i'm satisfied they are stone, not glass, but would leave it to someone with more gemmological knowledge to id the type of jade or other stone. The shape, and fact that the holes are relatively large may also indicate when they were made...?

you have no need to make any apologies- we all started out knowing practically nothing, wondering who to believe- and now most proper bead research has only begun to happen in the last 50 or so years... with encouragement and contributions often in the form of questions on internet forums particularly this one, Beadcollector.net.

Stefany (also based in UK)

I am certainly no expert on old stone beads. To me, the overall style looks like some of the green stone beads that are currently being made in China. They are most often strung as bracelets, the holes are quite rough, and the finish on the ends is like on yours sometimes flattened out. The stone to me looks like some it was artificially colored or enhanced.

However.....it could just as well be that these newer beads I have seen are trying to emulate some older style of beads. And that yours are the original. Perhaps someone else can tell us more?

Thank you, floor. It seems this is my first lesson then. The jadeite beads are treated glass and the glass bead disc necklace from Myanmar is wood?

Though they could be the original to which the reproductions emulate?

I am not sure, because it is always difficult to judge from a picture.
I do not think your green beads are treated glass, but treated stone. A lot of stones get treated or dyed along the way. I think that is what has been done to these stone beads too.

About the glass being wood. It looks like wood to me. If you touch it, and it is cold and heavy, then it is either glass or stone. If it is warmer and light, then it probably is wood.

A simple scratch test would differentiate between Nephrite Jade and Serpentine, both could be color enhanced as well. Some of the green beads appear to be glass and some a natural stone, if they scratch with a Swiss Army knife then it is probably Serpentine or similar, if it doesn't scratch but leaves a metallic streak then it is probably Glass or Nephrite Jade. If this were Jadeite in a natural color the individual bead price could be in the thousand dollar and up range, outside of royal collections, museums or corporate holdings, you will probably never find this many similar natural Jadeite beads assembled in any one place so I am ruling that out automatically. If you were to back-light them and you see air bubbles then they are 100% glass.....You may actually have some stone and some glass based on the photos.

Many, many people in that part of the world are familiar with lapidary techniques. And cheap jadeite is often waxed to fill in polishing pits, which might account for the luster on the beads in question.
Just because it's jade doesn't mean it's expensive. And just because it was purchased in Burma doesn't mean it wasn't cut in Shenzen...

If you paid a lot for the beads and really want to know what the stone is, there are gemological labs in southeast asia that can do an ID for you for a modest fee.

Hi Richard,
I agree with Thomas - it seems that there are two different green bead types in your group. I have a few suggestions -

Study each bead using a magnifying glass, or stereomicroscope if you have access to one. Group the beads according to what you find - color, shape, what the edges of the holes look like, etc. Hold each one up to strong light and look for cracks, bubbles, etc., and compare translucency and color. It will be good practice to train your eye to look for small details.

Once you have these groups (looks like you will have at least 2) then take a picture of two or three of each type, strung together as a side-by-side comparison. Please make sure the picture is in good focus. Once you post this, the rest of the BCN forum members may have more input for you.

Even so, it is sometimes very difficult to identify from pictures!

Note: Look inside the holes of the blue disks that appear to be made of wood. Surely you can tell if they are wood, and also by how they feel. About the only thing I have ever mistaken for wood is dyed horn or bone - these materials tend to be a bit denser (heavier) than wood, but not always.