I am reminded of 1983, when the first "collector bead book" was published in Japan and available in America. We were very excited to see it, even though it was a small book, presented in Japanese, with only photo captions in English. There were very few books dedicated to beads at that time—and this was clearly a top Japanese collection. My friend Elizabeth Harris paid to have a translation of the text made, and then she distributed it to anyone who was interested. I have a copy.

My expectations were low, in terms of finding helpful information, since English captions said nonsensical things, such as "Roman beads from the 19th century." Either the beads were "Roman" and from much earlier; or what may have been intended was "Italian beads," from the 19th C.

And issues such as this were apparently translation issues.

Even when I was in Nigeria in 1998, I was speaking with a woman who sold coral beads, and she referred to her Mediterranean coral beads (from Torre del Greco, near Naples) as "Roman coral." And I said to myself, "perhaps she buys Neapolitan coral from some middleman in Rome." "Or, perhaps she really means 'Italian' when she says 'Roman'." These are issues that can be difficult to sort-out. But there are possible answers or explanations. And there is accurate information that can be known and shared.

So, I have been dealing with bead names and terms for a very long time. And I understand that certain things are said (in English) by non-English speakers (or writers), who are dealing with new and different concepts—and who may not express themselves with great precision. But, even people who speak English, often, do not express themselves accurately and clearly. Talking about beads is "new territory" for many people—regardless of where they live, and what language they speak.

One thing about beads that is universal is that they bring people together. In several ways. We are sharing our interest and amazement, for artifacts that are meaningful and significant. Or even just beautiful. And something that brings people together, from anywhere and everywhere, is a thing to be honored and celebrated. And shared.

BCN Forum is a great place to pursue these interests. So, to reply to your question—yes, I would be happy to see whatever beads you may have that interest you.

Be well. Jamey