Photos from the bead souk

I promised pictures from the bead souk - even on a Sunday when most shops were closed it was spectacular. You can see the beginning of a wall of pearls with a glimpse of turquoise behind. There was amber below.



I couldn't get over how wonderful the colours seemed in the corals. They may well be chemically boosted. Somehow I don't really care. It reminded me that I tell my students to use every red, not just one or two, if they really want a piece to glow.

About one quarter of the turquoise wall


This is not a picture with a lot of impact as the details are but I really want to get across the scale of this one shop. Add in the walls of amethyst, carnelian, peridot, malachite, lapis, coral, pearls and multiply that by perhaps another thirty shops in the streets nearby and you are getting an idea of the possibilities here.


Better quality turquoise with the rough rocks at the bottom.


My favourite are the oddly greenish turquoise of the lowest grade with almost as much rock as semi-precious stone.


The little ones.