I wanted to make/post something happy for a change, and I wish I could go on about the glorious spring weather. I'm still wearing jeans and sweaters, but most of my spring necklaces are delicate and sit at my collarbones (read: they don't jive with sweaters). So I made a long necklace (26") with all kinds of fun stones to look substantial-yet-springy.A lot of stone beads have names that are pseudonyms like "candy jade" that the industry gives them to make them sound more expensive, when in actuality it's something else like quartz or even glass made to look like stone. I wrestled with the integrity issue for a while, wanting to work with quality materials but realizing that in order to have fun colors I'd have to pass up stones. So my disclaimer is that some beads in fun colors are not worth a lot on the black market, but they do still have the weight, feel, and durability of stone.