I just got a copy of "African Trade Beads", by Issa Traore, a native of Mali, who now sells African items in Japan of all places. In the book he advances what I think is a novel theory - namely that 7L chevrons originated in Egypt, then the technology was transferred to Venice. The Egyptian 7Ls are denoted "genesis chevrons" and Traore claims, "It is widely believed that genesis chevrons originated in Egypt, although there are claims of Italian origin". He thinks the Italian word for chevron beads, rosetta, derives from the Egyptian town of Rosetta.

First time I have heard of this theory and wonder if anyone else has ever seen any evidence to support it.

Note that there is a large 7L in the Egyptian Museum, in a case with Roman period glass. I saw this bead myself, and so have the Picards. Could this one bead be the source of mistaken identity by Traore?

Anyway, the rest of Traore's book is a wonderful pictoral romp through all sorts of trade beads from natural materials to European glass to African-made beads. My other nit-pick is that phenolic resin beads are called "copal" but at least he explains that they are synthetic materials and not "young amber".