... and in no way comparable to the auction beads. As I said before, I can't see any flaws in them, but like you, Jan, I wouldn't think of bidding without serious provenance. But hey, I'd never be able to afford that, anyway, would I?

However, I'd love to have the chance to touch them (without your ten foot glass rod!). Here (attached) is one I did get to hold last year in the Royal Ontario Museum, but with the little cotton gloves that everyone has to wear nowadays, you seldom get to actually "touch" anything unfortunately. This one is definitely authentic; it was collected for the museum in the 1930s. Interestingly, the devitrification bears a resemblance to the artificial patina that is sometimes said to be a distinguishing mark on a lot of the fakes made in the last 15 or so years in China.

Best,

Will