The variety of patterns in your collection is just awesome Jan!

I am assuming a lot of these are the Pyu variety?

Many resemble the beads I have found in Nepal?

Is there an easy way to distinguish the Pyu etched beads from those originating in Indus Valley sites? If you put them together can you see the difference or are there ways to tell from the patterns, material, etc.

You really are "the (agate) man" Jan......

The beads below are undistinguished next to yours Jan, but I am certain these came from SE Nepal where the Kirant people occupied Nepal in ancient times. So much to know, so little mind....... (sorry I meant time!)

"For over two millennia, a large portion of the eastern Himalaya has been identified as the home of the Kirant people, of which the majority are known today as Rai, Limbu, Yakha and Lepcha. In ancient times, the entire Himalayan region was known as the kimpurusha desha, a phrase derived from a Sanskrit term used to identify people of Kirant origin. These people were also known as nep, to which the name nepala is believed to have an etymological link. The earliest references to the Kirant as principal inhabitants of the Himalayan region are found in the texts of Atharvashirsha and Mahabharata, believed to date to before the 9th century BC. For over a millennium, the Kirant had also inhabited the Kathmandu Valley, where they installed their own ruling dynasty.This kirant population in the valley, along with original Austro-asiatic and negretoid settlers form the base for later Newar population."