| Original Message: Re: Burmese White-Heart Beads? |
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"...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 All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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