Yes, they are real Turquoise, and they are what is called stabilized Turquoise. That means they are color enhanced, and evened out in color, for jewelry making. Most Turquoise beads, for jewelry making are stabilized, unless you get them from an individual mine, therefore making them rare, unique and quite expensive. Thanx for asking! :0)
Do they look alike? There are always some variations in gemstones. These do not have a natural matrix, though, ( pattern of veins or lines) that are found in very expensive, natural Turquoise. The strand you see cost about $27., so they are a good quality. Just One natural Turquoise teardrop pendant, of this size, however could run up to $100. a piece, and probably would not be listed on here!
Very nice! Yes I have recently done some checking into turquoise, ans Joboy is completely correct.. I saw several smaller than this for over $500 a piece!
Thank you for your input, but these are ceratinly not of that quality! LOL I am a Jewelry Artisan by trade, and I teach jewelry design, and wire wrapping at a local level, here in Maine.