During mid 19th century Japan, late Edo era, the Japanese were making less colorful and decorative cloisonné beads for rosaries. It was not until the early Meiji, beginning in 1868, that they went into the production of making the colorful and decorative beads (like Stefany's and mine) easily adaptable as beads for necklaces which they could now wear and export.

However, there are beautiful examples of extremely fine cloisonné ojime beads from both the Edo and Meiji Eras. LIke the rosary, ojime were a jewelry substitute which men could enjoy; and like kansashi and obidome for women, ojime and rosaries for men evaded sumptuary laws because they were functional.