Essentially, when I look at this orange chevron bead, the technique and style LOOK Venetian to me. This is not to say it would be impossible for it to be a new Chinese bead..., but that would surprise me.

I am reminded of a series of late Venetian chevron beads, apparently made in the 1970s, that I will bet almost no one (here) has seen in real life. These are three of four beads that come from a private collection in Southern California, and were published by Robert Liu in the late '70s/early '80s. By sheer coincidence, when the owner passed on, the beads were bought by someone (more toward my area of the State), who put two of them up at eBay. I missed bidding on one, but got the other (the teal bead); and when I asked, I found the new owner had all four, and she offered to sell be the other two beads (one bright orangy-red, and one wine-red). I was gratified that I was going to receive three out of four beads that I had long coveted—and that I had never seen from another source that I recall.

So, these are definitely Venetian beads, but late in production. They are odd for the colors used, the fact that they all have clear-colorless layers (that are slightly frosted because the surfaces are matted), and because most of them feature inner "floral" layers (like millefiori work) rather than just typical star shapes.

Here's a group shot; but I'll show each bead individually and from different angles.

Jamey