The multiple strand hands are all sort of Coke bottle green. These are the ones that had "Made in Indonesia" tags. I'm not sure where I bought them, but I have plenty of others in similar sizes/thickness/shapes that are brown (like beer bottles), clear/white-ish, grey, and blue. And almost all of them relate to real bottle colors, so I assume that's where your term "lapidary-worked glass beads" comes into play?

Hans, none of mine are powder glass, nor painted, I don't care for them very much, for some reason, rarely buy them. I think those of us who aren't expertse used to be called "sand-cast beads", don't know what the proper term is called now, but they look very different than those in the picture.

Jamey, yep, I've called all the beads I've bought from African bead traders "African trade beads". And I've always assumed the beads were actually FROM Africa, if not actually MADE there (like Venetian, Dutch, Bohemian glass trade beads.) Would "repurposed" glass beads work? :-)

Hi Luann,

The name and identifier "trade bead" was devised in North America by archaeologists and anthropologists, to separate native-made beads from imported beads. The imported beads are trade beads. Calling "all beads from Africa "trade beads rather defeats the purpose of the term—because many many beads are and were made in Africa, and were not traded there.

As I define it, the Trade Bead Period ran from CE 1400 to 1950. And, of course, not every bead made in that time would be a "trade bead." Within Europe, or any country of origin, the domestic use of beads would just be a commercial pursuit. "Trade bead" is only a useful term if the context is one of contrast between one group of beads and another. And those others are "native-made beads." The practice of trading beads for commodities and services can be assumed to have ended by 1950 at the very latest. By that time most nations had and used actual currency to pay for things.

I'm not sure how powderglass beads got stirred into the conversation. I guess because Hans said your beads are not powderglass—which is correct. But it was powderglass beads (many of which have been made in West Africa), that were mistakenly called "sand-cast" beads from the 1970s (and still today by people who are slow to understand and alter their perspectives and terms).

I'm going to assume the beads you have are lapidary-worked glass beads, made from available glass. If they are marked "Indonesia," they are almost certainly not powderglass. This is not a technique the Indonesians (we're talking about Java, here) exploit for beadmaking. But the reuse of available glass for lapidary-made beads is well documented.

Jamey

I can’t say anything of the inside of these beads from a picture but I think the pattern on the outside is made in a kind of paper marbling technique. Oil paint in different colors is sprinkled on a watersurface. With a toothpick a simple design is drawn on that surface. Then the bead is dipped in the water and the oilpaint design sticks on the bead.

Hello Hans.

There are certainly beads that have marbled-transfer decorations. (I showed some from my trip to Java in 2008—and I have occasionally seen them in a few bead stores.)

But in the present instance, it is clear the designs are based on and are interpretations of actual trade beads. These include millefiori details.

So I am inclined to think they are printed transfers—whatever the base material may be.

Take care. Jamey

Very interesting. My wife was an ethnomusicologist and we got permission to make casts of a purported Javanese kulintong owned by an Ivy League university. We removed the accumulated hand oil and grime in preparation to cast and discovered welding lines! These bronze gongs had been sold to the university as mid 19th century when in fact the technology used was not available until World War Two and only in shipyards in the Philippines. That dated them from after the Philippines had American shipyards near the end of the war. They did not want to know they got scammed.

Hi Stefany,
these two repro beads were made and collected in East Java in 2005.
Ruler in mm.

Sigh... I will never learn

good information- yes, thanks-
but who and what were/are the beads being made for?
traditional/reproduction indonesian heirloom costume items? collectors? were they what i saw on the necklaces sold in Sarawak?
are they made for elsewhere in South China Sea trading area? is there a market elsewhere around Taiwan?

From what I can tell, the beads being made in Taiwan are for the Taiwanese market only.
They are not traded into Borneo. The Borneo market is supplied with beads from Java. Some of the bead designs can be pretty similar, but I have not seen the Taiwanese beads anywhere outside of Taiwan.
The Taiwanese beads are also pretty expensive, especially compared to Javanese or Chinese beads.

These are not painted. They are glass beads, made in Java, Indonesia. The decoration is done while in the flame. This pictures shows a more simple version of these, but the idea is the same. I am not sure what they use for the decoration, because it does indeed look different that regular glass.

I showed these beads at the FaceBook Group, Bead Hunters, about a year ago. At that time I did not know, for certain, who made them. They are a more-elaborate version of beads from Java, that I do know and have. Shortly after my acquisition, I saw that they were included in a selection of Javanese beads—so that's rather telling. And their Javanese origin was confirmed by BeadBrother Max.

A few look ancient. But they mostly appear to be reproductions—and therefore recent.

The applique is not a "murrine." (The singular would be "murrina.") This is just a trailed spot.

The easiest guess is that they are Indonesian. I know, for certain, that Javanese beadmakers have imitated black-&-white folded beads, placing a white band around them. (As seen in your photo.) The ancient prototypes are folded. The Indo-imitations are carefully wound-&-trailed—but look pretty good.

JDA.

Saw these beads being made in Java, Indonesia. All individually wound onto a mandrel.

Such a lot of beautiful tiny beads. Thanks, everyone, for showing them.

When I first replied to Ali's post, I was thinking, "I don't have any beads as small as that." But then today, I was looking for something else and found these. The first is a strand I've shown here before - unusual Jatims with graduated red glass "mutisalah" Indo-Pacific drawn beads. The smallest mutisalah are just about 1 mm in both directions. What's interesting is that all of the beads in the photo were found together in a single jar - in northern Java. I saw them while they were still embedded in the dirt. They date from about the 5th or 6th century CE.

The other photo is of micro lapis beds (1mm hole to hole, about 2 mm diameter) that I strung with a carnelian poppy sead-pod amulet from the New Kingdom, 15th century BCE or thereabouts. The blue and red were a common colour combination in that period - along with lots of gold, of course.

Cheers,

Will

Such a lot of beautiful tiny beads. Thanks, everyone, for showing them.

When I first replied to Ali's post, I was thinking, "I don't have any beads as small as that." But then today, I was looking for something else and found these. The first is a strand I've shown here before - unusual Jatims with graduated red glass "mutisalah" Indo-Pacific drawn beads. The smallest mutisalah are just about 1 mm in both directions. What's interesting is that all of the beads in the photo were found together in a single jar - in northern Java. I saw them while they were still embedded in the dirt. They date from about the 5th or 6th century CE.

The other photo is of micro lapis beds (1mm hole to hole, about 2 mm diameter) that I strung with a carnelian poppy sead-pod amulet from the New Kingdom, 15th century BCE or thereabouts. The blue and red were a common colour combination in that period - along with lots of gold, of course.

Cheers,

Will

In brief terms:

There is an ancient group of beads that are typically black, with white trails that have been combed into zigzags, of Middle Eastern origin. Some of these have an opaque brick-red trail over the white trail—thus being bicolored.

There is also a group of European trade beads, that have a very similar appearance. However, the red glass is translucent. And I have proposed that these beads copy or imitate the ancient beads—and that they date from post-1825, this being the provisional time that the Venetian industry seems to have begun exploiting translucent red glass. However, since it seems that the Bohemians had this glass earlier, I say it's possible such beads MIGHT be fom earlier than 1825, and made in Bohemia. (Unfortunately, there is no explicit documentation that supports these ideas; and this was before the time that sample cards became an industry standard.)

But, in any event, we can distinguish between the ancient beads and modern beads because of the differences in the opacity-or-translucency of the red glasses. Also (and very important!), is the fact that the ancient beads were furnace-wound; and the modern beads are lampworked. It is fairly common that the trade beads have been passed-off as "ancient" beads.

The beads you are showing us look like yet another iteration. They don't really look like either previous group. But they might be inspired by either group. I asked about the diaphaneity of the red glass as a beginning.

Unfortunately, photos, while being much better than nothing, cannot substitute for being able to examine a bead in-person. What I see are some characteristics that are difficult to comprehend, unless I can see the conformations in-the-round.

But I have to suspect these are recent beads. And the candidates are Java (but not excluding India or China—though these seem less-likely). Your beads also seem to be somewhat smaller than the beads they imitate.

I will show some past dialogues.

Jamey

http://beadcollector.net/cgi-bin/anyboard.cgi?fvp=/openforum/&cmd=iYz&aK=40534&iZz=40534&gV=0&kQz=&aO=1&iWz=0

hi Martine,
This strand is collected in 2008 and the beads are made in East Java. What do you think of the blue and green bead?
The size of the beads resemble yours. Would love to see the morfias
best wishes to all.

In the arena of ancient glass beads in Indonesia:

In antiquity Middle Eastern glass beads passed into Eastern Asia via Island SE Asia. Although it has been said that they were "inbolved" in the Spice Trade, it is likely that beads were not "traded for spices," but rather were perks. Beads were given or included when deals were made. Consequently, we will find Middle Eastern glass beads in ISEA.

At some point, we can surmise, Middle Eastern glassmakers/glassworkers emigrated to ISEA, and took up working there. (I suppose there were too many people working glass in the ME, and decisions were made to "cut out the middlemen," and go to the regions where beads had become popular. This happened similarly in Scandinavia as well.) Emigrant glassworkers then made beads that were essentially the same as those they made at home. (Technically speaking. It is possible and likely that local glassmaking differed from ME glass, in terms of raw materials. My comments relate to techniques and styles.)

Then, as happens over time, those glassworkers evolved into their own idiom of beadmaking. Their new products harkened back to those of previous generations, but also had specific differences. The two main types of jatim, millefiori beads and combed beads have antecedents in ME beads; but differ from them in being derived from hot-pinched decorated cane (or cane-like) constructions—whereas ME beads were much more often individually-made, being wound or rolled-pad beads. Nevertheless, we can see remarkable similarities if we compare components; i.e. the actual millefiori canes.

All this is explained in my book, Magical Ancient Beads (1998). It is my opinion that there are, essentially, three classes of beads in Indonesia (and wherever these beads were traded to) that are: 1) Middle Eastern beads, 2) Javanese-made beads that are like ME beads; and 3) the unique jatim that evolved from ME bead styles.

To answer Linda's question, the green/yellow mosaic-glass beads could be either types 1) or types 2). One may wonder if a chemical analysis would distinguish between them (?). By the way, most of these beads are hot-pierced beads—being derived from solid mosaic-glass cane pieces, that were heated and pierced. Some are pierced longitudinally and some across thir girths.

Jamey

This picture show modern made beads (2006) from East Java.
But in the 90's there was already skill to make nice new beads!
Caution is advised, but do not judge on pictures only.

As I remarked previously, Javanese bedmakers reached critical-mass for reproducting ancient beads in a more-authentic manner in the early 2000s. I saw the first hot-pinched millefiori beads, imitating jatim, in 2001.

It also happened that in the late '90s I saw the first "Javanese" millefiori piece, at the Folk Art and Craft Museum in Los Angeles—shown to me by the store manager, who was a friend (now deceased). This was not a bead. It was a paperweight, and had been made using typical-looking blue-&-white eye canes. However, I was told it was fabricated by an Anglo man in Java. So it was not produced at a Javanese-manned factory.

Nevertheless, just the fact that actual millefiori work was being produced in Java caused me to anticipate that locally-made more-authentic beads would be offered eventually. And this turned out to be true just a few years later. These included wound individually-made beads with sparse millefiori decoration. (I have some.) Followed by actual hot-pinched beads—that realistically mimic ancient jatim.

My article for the Istanbul Bead Conference (2007) shows specimens of these beads, and describes the progress of the Javanese industries. And, of course, the two long photo essays from my trip in 2008, posted here at the Forum, are revealing.

By 2006, your beads would have been commplace, in terms of the changes in manufacturing.

But in the '90s, beadmakers were still making torchwork wound beads with trailed decorations. Yes, they were "nice beads." But they were very different from mosaic-glass beads.

Jamey

Another curious bit of recent history:

In 2008, when I went to Bali and Java (copiously shown here in two long dialogues), I brought with me copies of my papers from the Istanbul Conference of the previous year. One of these was about how imitations of old and ancient beads have become misrepresented in the current bead marketplace. I gave copies of these papers to several people in the bead business.

Fast-forward to 2010:

After attending the first Borneo Bead Conference at Miri in Sarawak, I returned to Bali and Java, to further pursue the fieldwork I had begun two years earlier. I was surprised to find that several beads and pendants, shown in my 2007 paper, were then being copied in Java (!). I was even more surprised when the chap I had given the reprints to, who showed me the new copies, did not acknowledge that these beads and pendants were derived from the paper I gave him. (He is directly connected to the beadmakers in Jember, and facilitated my going to Jember to meet these beadmakers a few days later.) Some of these elements were copied but altered-in-style. What had been an imitation of a Phoenician head pendant had been morphed into a Buddha head pendant. And, of course, I acquired specimens of this stuff too.

Jamey

dear Red
i live in London.
do you just want to buy or are you happy to look at collections- ?
we might meet if you like.Let me know.
there are some regular antique markets, and special fairs and events, and there are always lots of beads of oriental origins such as shown in my recent book- in the chapters showing beads from china, japan, Hong kong, india, Java, Afghanistan, and Himalayan area.
mostly they are either sold at auction for very high prices, or by general dealers who may not be dishonest or knowledgable about the material, the craftsmanship, the value or cannot tell if something is a fake.

the first image of the oval blue-green beads with dots filled with gold paint -these are moulded Czech, mid -20th C. made for strands of islamic prayer beads. they imitate the patterns on more valuable prayer strands of ivory or black coral, etc. where the patterns are of hammered inlaid silver wire "pinheads"- a technique sometimes called "pique". -(with an acute accent on the e)

the juicy yellows resemble beads that may be from China, Japan or Indonesia?

Unless the yellow beads happen to be less than twenty (20) years old, I doubt that China is a candidate for having made such trail-decorated glass beads. Stef—can you cite an instance of similar products?

My first thought was that these are Venetian beads. However, looking closely, what they appear to be (to my eyes) are beads that imitate Venetian beads. They have some congruency to Japanese beads (probably post-WWII). And, of course, we know that some Venetian beads have been copied (sometimes impressively-so) in Java. Also mostly over the previous twenty (20) years.

I certainly agree with your sccessment of the molded Czech beads.

Jamey

To me, they look like the beads made in Java (except for the Czech ones).
So fairly recent production, good quality, copying Venetian beads.

1) A strand of mixed Venetians

2) A strand of translucent blue beads known as "Aggrey" or "Koli"

3) A strand of Java glass fish

4) Carved turquoise frog, dragon, and turtle beads

These are new Indonesian, and small - the round is 9.2 mm diameter - but the trailing seems to be stylistically similar to your beads.

I showed the original beads and Javanese reproductions in my 2010 paper for Borneo. J.

Hi Pere,
I posted a thread on 10 June 2017 showing Indonesian beads I purchased, next to Venetian originals.

The link to the main thread is broken, unfortunately.

Here is a link to the first post with image comparisons. You will have to do a search for Rosanna, between 665 and 655 days ago, using the search function, and you can access the rest of the photos and comments.

Reminder when using the search function - the numerical value of the OLDEST date needs to be entered first. It's somewhat counter-intuitive. So search for 665 to 655, not the other way around.

thanks rosanna

The beads in you images appear to be Indonesian a.k.a Java glass.
Here are two views of similar beads from my collection. Both beads are are approximately 13mm in diameter. The one on the left is antique Venetian. The one on the right I believe to be vintage Indonesian(Java glass). Both have polychrome latticino ring decorations applied to a black matrix. My Venetian bead also has an Avventurina band around the middle.

Dear DD,

Can you amplify what you indicate by "vintage Indonesian...."?

Javanese reproductions of old beads popular in Borneo are recent enough that to refer to them as "vintage," seems like a mistake. And, at best, to some minds it will imply that these Javanese beads have circulated 'for a long time'—and are or may be older than is the circumstance.

It is my opinion that most (or possibly all) of the Lukut beads (and others!), enjoyed by Borneoan people were made at Venice. And, consequently, I think they are more-recent than the common and much-repeated ideas about age/origin suggest.

If I recall accurately, the first time I saw a strand of new Javanese Lukut Sekala beads would have been about 2004—and I bought them (at Tucson). I do not recall seeing any such reproductions during my trip to Java in 2008, or else I would have bought them there too. However, by 2010, Nurwakit (in Jombang) was making reproduction Borneo beads, that were being offered for sale at the Borneo International Beads Conference. I bought a necklace that copies a specific family heirloom. (I'll try to dig up a photo.). I also bought a necklace of his beads at the Conference in 2015.

By the way, although it remains popular and still-often-repeated, the name "latticino" was demonstrated to be made-up (invented), and not a traditional Venetian name, decades ago. Many people think the name relates to "lattice work." But, in fact, the name means "tiny whites"—and refers to the internal filigrana within such canes. I suppose I am in the minority in attempting to encourage people to use the real Italian names for things.

Be well. Jamey

"...known as 'Burmese white-hearts'..."?

First Linda, it is always helpful to have some idea of scale in any photo. No one can tell whether these are really big beads, or very small beads seen up-close. Scale can make a difference. I see you report they are 1 cm in diameter, but visual clues are more helpful (at least for me).

Let's get it out of the way. Many Burmese necklaces include red white-heart beads. But (those I have seen) usually have a more-pale tone of red, and may or may not be matted.

The actual name for red (or reddish) white-heart beads is Italian—cornaline d'Aleppo (meaning "carnelian of/from Aleppo"—a reference to Aleppo stones that were banded agates or other minerals, used in healing). The name "Aleppo" is also amended to orange-over-white and yellow-over white drawn beads (as we can see on Venetian sample cards).

The Aleppo family was devised by Venetian beadmakers in the early 1800s (possibly by about 1825). They are visually related to larger wound overlay beads, that sometimes are poorly identified by the same name (though the wound beads have their own traditional regional names). The name "white-heart" was/is primarily used by American Indians, and Indian Hobbyists, and was popular as early as the 1960s if not earlier.

Aleppos are very popular trade beads! They have gone nearly anywhere in the world you can imagine that trade beads have gone.

So, to ask about "Burmese white-hearts" is sort of nonsensical. Unless you are speaking solely in the context of Burmese beads. These are Venetian trade beads.

It is true that the appearance of your beads makes them seem to be very bright dark red, and very shiny. They do appear to be recent. But appearances can be deceiving.

In addition to the gazillions of red white-heart beads made at Venice, it is said that the Czechs also made them. (I am not convinced that's true, until recently, and I don't know how anyone might distinguish between them. After all, apparently, the Bohemians (Czechs) INVENTED the red glass used for cdA beads.) From about 100 years ago (or slightly more recently perhaps) the Chinese beadmakers at Boshan made spheroidal overlay beads, that are usually orange or brownish glass over white or yellow glass. These beads were hot-pinched, so they stand apart from the beads that inspired them.

In the mid-1980s (or early '90s) a poor imitation was produced in India—these being wound beads. They are distinct from Venetian beads. As I demonstrated in 2009, red white-heart beads were also made in Java at around that time. The Javanese beads have a very pretty cherry-red color, and tend to be more spheroidal than Venetian beads.

I hope this helps you. Jamey

Here's my photo, also from 2009. JDA.

Here are two photos I took at the African Village at Tucson, three weeks ago.

The first shows "new muraqad" beads that copy old specimens. They have considerably less fidelity than the beads they imitate, compared to the lovely beads you show. But they are made one-by-one..., and, over time, the output might become more proficient, in terms of care and detail.

The second photo, also from an African inventory, shows new/recent beads from Java, that also intend to "copy" muraqad beads from Mauritania. These are admittedly torchworked, and so are grossly inauthentic. Nevertheless, that issue aside, many beads are remarkably small and detailed, and are thus impressive. I have specimens of this output dating back to the 1990s, and more recently.

Of course, if you meant one-off beads that are more-or-less unique, then Joyce's comments about the work of many contemporary beadmakers is very apt. The international interest in making great glass beads persists.

JDA.

http://beadcollector.net/cgi-bin/anyboard.cgi?fvp=/openforum/&cmd=iYz&aK=41696&iZz=41696&gV=0&kQz=&aO=1&iWz=0

Also, if your family has owned the beads in question for more than about ten (10) years, it is very unlikely they are recent Javanese reproductions.

JDA.

These are modern beads from Jember in Eastern Java, Indonesia.
Here is an example of the cane they use, and is also in the necklace.

For example, look at the beads Paigar just posted.....

And here are some I picked up when I was in Indonesia. Images by Hans.

what is the coating like inside the holes -are they rather wide?

..., these appear to be lampworked in the Venetian style; and not resulting from furnace-work. Nevertheless, they could have been made by any industry that produces Venetian-inspired beads. Javanese beads would have to be considered. What is unexpected is the multi-colored (?) bits inside the white spirals. Since I cannot see these clearly, they are just "there" and do not contribute to understanding. J.

Hi Jamey, thank you. There is a lot of resemblance. Hope to find more info in the future.

there was also this damaged small bird
I hope to get the opportunaty to photograph the glass elephants from the same batch soon to show.

Bird length x height = 16,82 x 11,78 mm