The old native American term for "money" - Wampum.
What is it? Traditionally they were rondelles- pieces cut from shells and worked into rounds with holes drilled for stringing. Because of the work involved, these had "value" above and beyond just something picked up off the beach.
These purple and white "beads" are cut and polished from the traditional shell of quahogs - one of many hard shelled clams native to the Northeastern Atlantic coast. Quahog wampum was one of the more sought after as well as more common type of trade bead back when Europeans first arrived.
THESE ARE NOT ANTIQUE, and I do not believe that they are Native made - The are genuine quahog ... but more of an experience - holding them and thinking back to how and why they were used as trade. They are also something to turn into something else; jewelry, decoration or display. I've really enjoyed both having them and learning more about how valuable they were in early trade .... and just how beautiful they actually are.
These strings are just done on monofilament (fishing line) so if you want them as a necklace I would encourage you to restring them and finish them with proper clasps.
The smaller beads are all the same size (or close) - approximately 3/16". The larger string are graduated in size and go from approximately 1/4" up to 1/2"