You got it. Yes, I strung these together and worn them quite a bit when I was working retail. The color really is nice. I forget the name of the stone. Drat. Now that I'm not dressing up so much for work, I don't wear much "jools" so rather than let them sleep forever in a jewelry box, I'd like to share.
I think they are. I bought them from an upscale beading shop from their "semi-precious" collection on sale because they were closing :-( I couldn't afford them at full price. On sale, I think they were $20