| Original Message: Re: Mystery carved nut beads - Chinese? |
|---|
|
Here's a link using our search funtion that you'll want to go over, from what you've learned & then posted here & after looking at the pic, my experience lends a mere guess that they appear to be Chinese carved nuts (walnut) & typical of offerings from 1850's - 1940's. There may be no economical way to date an individual nut, so that the provenance may lie in the other items/materials that make up the entire 'chain.' Removing any damaged beads (if there are any) may not hurt the overall value and yet may even give it more value, that is - an appraisser/buyer will make their decision on the final value. No action is inherently right or wrong, if you take it apart for the indivdual beads, then you do, repurposing antique/vintage beads is a global passion. Its an impressive item that I wouldn't disassemble, that's simply my two opinions. As for rarity, the carved nuts aren't hard to find here in the U.S., having them done in original state such as your's is are probably few and far between, best you can do is to ever venture to ever see another, some of us here will also keep a keen eye out now too! I'll check my files soon for anything identical/similar. All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
|
|