Thread of faceted 4 mm beads in natural anyolite, also called ruby in zoisite, containing about 95 beads. A deep green crossed by opaque red patches and black veins: each bead has its own unique pattern.

Features:

• Stone: natural anyolite (green zoisite with red corundum inclusions), called ruby in zoisite
• Shape: faceted round
• Size: 4 mm
• Hole: 0.8 mm
• Quantity: thread of about 95 beads
• Color: green with red and black patches
• Origin: Kenya

The 0.8 mm hole fits a 0.60 to 0.65 mm nylon thread in single stringing, a 0.35 mm one if the thread needs to pass through twice, and 0.5 mm elastic for a bracelet.

A bit of gemology: anyolite is not a gem but a rock. It combines green zoisite, opaque inclusions of red corundum — the same mineral as ruby, but in a non-gem, non-transparent quality — and often black patches of hornblende. Its name comes from the Maasai anyoli, "green". First described in 1954 in the Longido region of East Africa, it is mined in that same area. Its hardness is heterogeneous: 6 to 6.5 for zoisite, up to 9 for corundum, which gives a slightly contrasting polish from one area to another — this is normal, and even a good sign of authenticity.

100% natural product: the proportion of green, red, and black varies greatly from one bead to another and from one thread to another. Dimensions and quantities are given for guidance only.