| Original Message: British lacemaker's bobbins with spangles |
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I was so fortunate to receive the most wonderful pair of lacemaker’s bobbins with beaded spangles from my Bead Swap Santa Carole Morris in the UK who studies the beads found on these marvellous historical treasures. Carole so kindly selected two that include Bohemian ‘Russian blue’ style beads since I recently posted some of these types of beads. These are my first greeny ones! Carole kindly included in my parcel a description which I copy here for those who are interested. ************************** The bobbins are quintessentially English – being ‘East Midlands’ type of bobbins with spangles – dating from perhaps 1840-1880. Each bobbin has some of the blue and greeny blue Bohemian ‘sprengperlen’ beads in their original context, exactly as the day they were first put on. Each bobbin also has four wound ‘square cuts’ (traditional name – they are no cut, this is a colloquial name) which were made for English lacemakers by English ‘lapidaries’ (some of who were also from bobbin-making families) from the late 18th and through the 19th century. They used mainly transparent clear glass, and various shades or dilutions of ruby glass (which turn up as very light swirled pinks through to deep ruby reds). They almost certainly used scrap glass from the West Midlands glassmaking industry trade – hence clear and ruby red are dominant in the earlier period and become somewhat ‘traditional’. One of the bobbins has a wound glass bead with random squiggled trails. Often only 8mm in diameter, these beads were made mainly in the first half of the 19th century but not for jewellery and turn up on many early lace bobbins. They are poor copies of more elaborate Venetian ones, which lacemakers also used and prized, but at the end of the 18th/early 19th century, the Venetian trade was at a bit of the low point due to the Napoleonic Wars in Europe and English lapidaries made these beads for lacemakers who at the time were consuming large amounts of glass beads for spangles. I call then ‘English squiggle’ beads to distinguish them from the squiggle bead which is a Venetian blue and white trailed bead using the same name. The two small oval turquoise beads are Bohemian and over here were often referred to as cremettes, although this name has been used for various types of ‘squashed’ beads. *********************** Thank you so much Carole – I am so thrilled to have them and will treasure them always. Warmest best wishes, Margot All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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