If you wander the beaches of St. Ignace (and if you have excellent eyesight), you might be fortunate enough to find some of these "seed beads" along the shore. They still wash on shore occasionally, brought up from wrecks in the deep. The beads are made of glass, imported from Europe. They would have been brought here originally by the French, and used in trade. They are called "seed beads" because of their small size. They're not particularly valuable, but they are fun to find!