Not one, not two... but of a lot of 29 Islamic Era oh-so-nice beads, 15 were found to be recently made!
First Tasart declared his doubts on a Forum thread I started; then Jamey, de viva voce after inspection in the flesh, kindly expertized.

CAVEAT EMPTOR

I do think it is good to share these stories.....
Would you let us know which 15 were found to be fake?
I have my thoughts, some look like they may be fake, others might be Venetian instead of Islamic?

...we learn from our mistakes.

This is the image where Tasart highlighted those beads that he deemed faked, dubious and OK.
He was remarkably accurate ( considering he was working on this not so good image only). If I remember well, red was FAKE, yellow was PERHAPS (although they were also fake) and green OK (although some of them were not good either).

You misunderstood me. I think it is a very good idea to share stories like this here! So thanks for sharing.

To me, my post was mostly about showing that anyone can make mistakes when buying and ID-ing beads. These stories are interesting to share. To me, it is not about 'shaming' a certain dealer, and I see your point there.

I find that the only way I have been able to get really good beads is by taking really big risks. Buying beads is like gambling. Sometimes you win big.

Sometimes you loose big. In the long run, hopefully, you break even; if you can endure the discomfort while traveling, the journey is always worth it.

Happy trails to you Peter and Floor. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

In 1984 I bought this necklace in a glass shop in Venice. The seller told me they were old Venetian millefiori; Few years after I learned they where new millefiori from India. I like them, but the equivalent of 90 euros(more or less 110 USD) was decisely absurd.
Giorgio

Among the dealers i know very few vendors who deceive intentionally, but generally they have far less accurate knowledge than specialist collectors and optimistically want to make a good sale.
Generally i buy in the flesh, not online or mail order, -from antique market dealers who are not very interested in their small bits if they arent gold or gemstones, so i dont even see stuff thats very highly priced. Under such conditions every purchase is an exciting risk, and occasionally there may be a treasure among the oddments.
there are ways of sharing what we know about beads without antagonising the person who is offering them. -perhaps by introducing the element of adventure and discovery together, and some copies are as interesting as what they imitate, reflecting another aspect of craft skill...

About 8 years ago, I was selling new beads myself. Imported stuff from China and India, and away I went. I had these great turquoise chunky beads, and they would sell great. And then someone came up to me to tell me she thought they were fake. I thanked her, did my research, and from then on, they were labelled as turquoise colored stone. I was not trying to deceive anyone, had no clue about real turquoise. However, the people I sold to before, would have every reason to be annoyed with me.....

I feel it would be helpful to contrast and compare right with wrong beads.
But all sellers are guilty of unwittingly selling fakes at one time or another.
Sometimes this happens because of ignorance. -Sometimes by passing errors on...
Challenging beads make better bead warriors of us in a minefield of possible mistakes.

Too sad about the polymer clay dots!

Took a chance on these on ebay didn't pay much luckily. I knew nothing about these type of beads but after posting these here on BCN I now know more. education costs but it is worth it.
Wayne

wayne
i'd have been happy to acquire a string of Indonesian beads like these!

If it weren't for the similar beads I found in a Brussels beads shop. Whenever I see interesting fakes, and they are cheap, I will buy them. A large part of my collection are fakes. There are quite a few beads of which I have no original, but plenty of fakes. I like the stories that come with them. And they are great education too.

Perhaps there is a book lurking in there some time.

tributes....great way of describing our mistakes. I've definitely made mistakes, although don't have pictures or my camera handy to show right now, but unlike how "big" all of you have been, I still get angry or frustrated at myself! :) I do most of my buying on the internet as my life has not allowed me to travel much these past 12 years, & I've learned to ask more questions, see more pictures & try to know when it's important to jump & buy quickly or take more time to research. I'm sure I'll continue to make a mistake here & there, particularly as I start loving a new type of bead, a new tribe's work, etc. But it definitely makes me feel better hearing how all of you experts have done the same thing at times! So thanks for sharing...we are all definitely human, with flaws, thank God! :) Have a great weekend all. Lynne