| Original Message: Nigerian Powderglass |
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Dear Renaid, I see two photos, though perhaps you attempted to post three (?). The upper stand is a very typical group of Nigerian powderglass beads, presented in a graduated strand, of different shapes of beads. Nigerian powderglass beads such as these were made to imitate coral—a valuable and desirable bead material in the past, and remaining so today. These beads were documented in the 1940s, and may have been made as late as the 1960s. The usual result of powderglass beadmaking is a nearly-opaque bead (because the glass remains granular). However, there is often some translucence, depending on the glass used. In the case of imitation coral, typically, red imported beads were ground-up, and that glass combined with scrap glass (such as colorless bottles). The more red glass used, the more saturated the color. But many beads are spotty-looking, because the red glass is a smaller percentage in the mix. These beads may or may not have a ground and polished finish. This provides a nice exterior, and the resulting beads look the most like real coral. I do not recall seeing the beads you show below, that have engraved (?) or cut parallel lines—but the beads also look Nigerian. By the way, there are no Dutch beads from as late as the mid-19th century. The latest ones I know of were early 18th C. beads. Usually, it is a 19th C. German or Bohemian/Czech bead that is presented as "Dutch"—this being a mistake. I hope this helps. Jamey All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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