If I understand your comment
Re: Re: "Venetian-Like" Beads from Borneo -- Beadman Post Reply Edit Forum Where am I?
Posted by: Rosanna Post Reply
01/19/2026, 15:10:21

I understand that the beads I purchased are not "vintage" or antique heirloom beads from Borneo.
According to Floor Kaspers, who visited the bead maker in Java in 2017, these are beads made in Jombang, East Java and shipped to Borneo and other SE Asian locations such as Bangkok.
She photographed some heirloom beads in a museum in Kuching, Borneo. I am posting this photo for comparison (thanks, Floor!). To my eye, a few of the beads in this picture could be Venetian (arrows), but hard to tell for sure from a photo.
I also understand that there is debate about the origin of many of the heirloom beads that reportedly date to early 20th century or even earlier.

I'm also posting another photo by Floor showing a variety of the contemporary Java beads found in a shop in Kuching, Malaysian Borneo. You can see a lot of the same patterns in the museum beads.

1MuseumBeadsKuching.jpg (97.8 KB)  6KuchingBeads2017.jpg (220.4 KB)  


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