This is a very special and unusual mala, made by Tibetans refugees trained in North India to work with Murano (Italian) blown glass, where each bead is hand blown, then enveloped in a silver leaf-containing clear outer layer.  

The nucleus of the beads is a pale aqua color, while the outer layer is flecked with silver. The beads are 8 mm each, and the Guru bead is 15 mm, for a total length of 34".

If you like beautiful and unique products, this item is for you! If you wear jewelry, this could be one of your signature pieces.

From Wikipedia:

Murano glass is glass made on the Venetian island of Murano, which has specialized in fancy glasswares for centuries. Murano’s glassmakers led Europe for centuries, developing or refining many technologies including crystalline glass, enamelled glass (smalto), golden glass (goldstone), multicolored glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo), and imitation gemstones made of glass. Today, the artisans of Murano are still employing these centuries-old techniques, crafting everything from contemporary art glass and glass figurines to Murano glass chandeliers and wine stoppers, as well as tourist souvenirs.

Today, Murano is home to a vast number of factories and a few individual artists' studios making all manner of glass objects from mass marketedstemware to original sculpture. The Museo del Vetro (Glass Museum) in the Palazzo Giustinian houses displays on the history of glassmaking as well as glass samples ranging from Egyptian times through the present day.^[1]