I believe it's rhodolite garnet. (The larger beads are reddish-black, so it might be almandine garnet?) I haven't had it appraised, but I'm judging by the color... The smaller beads are reddish-purple, and the larger beads are a darker red. Indoors, they appear generally reddish-black. While not transparent, the size of the beads creates a beautiful gradation and silhouette. The larger beads have many scratches, so I hope someone who understands this will purchase it. (There are scratches in addition to those in the third image.) They don't seem like they're about to fall apart or break, and I don't think there will be any problems with use. It has a USA PAT.2007 clasp, which is easy to use. I plan to wrap it in bubble wrap and ship it via regular mail.