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Re: A serendipitous find of "Peking" glass beads -- beadiste Post Reply Edit Forum Where am I?
Posted by: Beadman Post Reply
03/02/2023, 23:10:41

First, I have a canister surmounted by a Chinese glass bead—a plain one. And the canister is not as nice as yours....

I recently made a big purchase of Boshan beads from an online seller. She was calling them "Peking glass," and I informed her that this is an outdated name, and that what was formerly called "Peking glass" beads were furnace-wound—whereas similar-appearing Boshan beads wee torch-worked.

We have exchanged several interesting messages, and she seems nice and interested in my perspective. And she has told me about how she came to acquire the beads, by actually going to Boshan. And other details. But the most-surprising thing she told me was that, at Boshan, they made both furnace-wound AND torch-work glass beads. Also various other types—which I know because I have seen and documented a very good sample collection, some years ago.

It is easy to believe that the above were instigated by resident Germans, because I have one bead that looks like an attempt to make a marble bead. In contrast, their millefiori work was clearly inspired by Venetian products (being made in the 1920s or '30s) from mostly floral molded canes.

The upshot of this is that the dividing line between Canton "Peking glass" beads and Boshan furnace-wound beads is now blurred. Some of the plain furnace-wound "Peking glass beads" are likely to be from Boshan. That is going to demand a thought adjustment.

Anyway, the beads I bought are on their way to me now. And I expect to buy more.

JDA.



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