| Original Message: Very nice, very collectable and still quite popular amongst collectors. |
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Hi Steve, I have collected such beads since the early 1970s. This image is of one of my favorite strands. Mostly phenolic resin beads, heat treated to turn them this dark red (I actually cooked some myself once, in cooking oil, BOILED them, and they took on this wonderful color), most have been hand carved and altered from the original shape. There are some real amber beads on this strand including the very large repaired bead (52mm x 25mm) and a fabulous ancient carnelian hard cut bicone bead. This is the strand of beads I bought in 1974 (95% of this strand that is), traded it for fossils, stumbled upon the same strand at a flea market 10 years later and bought it back. Also during this time you could still find HUGE (60mm x 70mm)phenolic resin beads with lots of cracks and darkness and gorgeous patinas. I had a whole strand once, had to borrow money to buy it, $100. These cannot be found and the "big" strands today are wholesaling for ourtrageous prices. You got a very nice strand there. Carl All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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