Like Stefany, perhaps, I usually attribute the rich and beautifully carved seeds to the early 20th century. They often turn up in London and perhaps they were souvenirs. Anyway, they are still found as dangles in prayer bracelets in China. The reason I think your bat may be early 20th century is because many times the old elegant pieces sometimes have an Art Nouveau flair to them. Today, in the Panjiayuan Market, Beijing, they are usually made of molded plastic. More often, they depict facial portraits of the eighteen Lohans of Buddhism or explicit but elegant erotic scenes as only the Chinese can do so well. I feel that the deep rich patina and wear is unmistakable in your bat and characteristic of a bead well loved over many decades.

Unfortunately, there is a hasty assumption that all Chinese things are probably fraudulent while many Chinese take great pride in their long and distinguished history of artistic simulation. Occasionally, they make glass look identical to jade and feel it is worth more. Sometimes an excellent specimen can command more Renminbi than the real thing. An expensive and hazardous sport, this challenge to the eye of the connoisseur must become part of the fun of collecting Chinese things because otherwise it is a serious problem. The Asian Art Museum held a special exhibition of such pieces about ten years ago featuring glass carvings in various simulations of minerals. Most of these art objects were meticulously collected by Barney and Ema Dagan of Los Angeles.