Degumay said this was the first strand of this type he had ever seen. I fell in love, then upon close examination it becomes quite apparent that these are VERY UNVENETIAN-LIKE. First photo - the full strand - notice nearly every bead has beveled ends, and at least some wear damage on edges, as any good African Trade should. Second photo - closeup, the decoration is applied as a unit, a bit like the "pad-rolled" beads which have been discussed here before. The stripes are part of a separate unit of glass, I believe, and it is at least 3 to 4mm thick. It is quite apparent that there are at least two separate units of the decoration layer (or else it wraps more than once around the bead), and they form one or more concentric seams around the bead. Sure would like to know if anyone knows this bead's origin/age. Jamey?