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The matte finish may be from the type of glass used. Today, at the ISGB conferences, there are Japanese sellers offering contemporary matte glass beads made with "soft glass." The sheen is not indicative of age. During the Edo Era, Japan restricted trade with the west -imposing sumptuary laws. So, during the Edo Era, the Japanese were not allowed to wear necklaces. The lengths and graduation of the ebay necklaces from your ebay examples* are representative of the twenties, thirties and forties in the west. And the British were their best customers. Notice that ebay sellers of old Asian necklaces tend to be British. There are fine examples of ojime which may have been made during the Edo period. But this was in order to get around the sumptuary laws. The law allowed accessories for clothing to be jewelry like. And those who could afford to show off their wealth and good taste were able to commission fine glass beads for ojime and kansashi. These were usually as large as 3/4" or 18mm and offered as single beads with perforations large enough for two cords to pass, not necklaces during the Edo Era, 1615-1868. You can see line drawing illustrations in the Soken Kisho, a late 18th c. treatise on netsuke, ojime and inro. JRJ: Since you live near UC Berkeley, you can find translations of the Soken Kisho there. Also, you could attend the new group Joyce has formed which will be meeting every three months in the San Francisco Library; I will probably be offering talks on ojime and Mandarin Court Necklaces. * The three beads from your first image are only one fourth to one third inch in diameter, the average size from an eleven inch necklace. I feel this information is important and should have been included with your original question. Size matters. All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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