Beads of Bali

Indonesia is a land of 17,000 islands, and several of the larger ones are actively mined for their gemstones.  The Balinese have long used their own gems in their jewelry designs.

In recent years they have even imported gemstones not available in Indonesia to cater to the wishes of their international customers. We were surprised to see how much American and Mexican turquoise has made its way to Bali, for example.