Thanks Zoe! You know , I just got some really nice sized polished marcasite chip beads from our local craft store-- for only $3.99 a 16" strand!
I made a nice handcrafted necklace out of it last week- and something inside of me made sure that for that necklace, I needed to use better quality sterling silver clasps and jewelry findings compared to the other stone bead necklaces I make. Maybe that was my intuition telling me that this is a special stone.