oh, the strand is 24" long, thanks

That's not an unreasonable price. But it's also a lot of money.

They ARE well matched and the center one is larger than average. You could easily pay US$100 each today for the egg shaped ones, more for the long center chevron and US$75 each for the drum shapes. You could pay less, but I've seen them sell for more, single bead by bead, too.

Most of us would be proud to hang that strand on our walls or around our necks. But, as Joyce asks, do you love them?

Hi Rob, I love the odd "point to point" pattern on the big one! A great contrast to the "normal" alignment of layers.
A thousand dollars is not neccesarily a lot, when considering the time involved in collecting matched beads in very nice condition. It could easily take months (or years) to assemble this strand one by one! How much is your time worth?

Hi Rob,

Welcome to the forum.

Here are a few thoughts on chevrons.

There are a few things to consider here. Lovers of chevrons know that every bead is a little different. It's why we love collectible beads.

The center focal bead is very large. Each pair on either side were carefully matched. Have you tried on the strand, would you wear it as is or use them otherwise? Do you love them? These questions may not seem relevant, but I do ask them of myself when considering a pricey strand.

More to consider is the fact that these beads appear in very good condition. They seem to have some expected wear, but no large chips or other damage. Is that true? Chevron beads today from the African trade are just not in the great overall condition that the group you show appears to be. Last weekend, I saw a few strands of good-sized chevrons at 600.00, and I do not think I could cull a group this nice from any one of the strands. I would probably need to get 2, and then possibly still not have a 2 1/2" focal. So, I do feel that you would spend more than 1000.00 today in strands of chevrons from which to cull a group quite as nice as these.

I used to see more trade beads than I do lately, and I have not been to the Tucson shows that happened in February. A number of forum members went, and may have more info for you re. the current market. There may be opportunities for chevrons there that one won't find any other time. So, one could also see it as an opportunity to go shop chevrons in Tucson in Feb. 2007, but you would then surely spend much more than the 1000.00 on the trip and all the other goodies you could not live without...

The black-with-white-spiral beads, known as "zen" or "number 6" are seen valued at approx. 10.00 each when in nice condition.

I think auction houses take up to 30%. This needs to be considered too.

Best wishes,
Joyce

I think the center bead is not only large, but masterfully done.

thank you everone, i called the seller and told him i would buy from him, he removed from auction so i do no have the extra fee's, just local taxes, the beads feel right when i held them, i dont know how to explain that but they seem right for me, there were absoultly no chips or cracks on any of the beads, he has four more large egg shaped beads like the second largest on the strand for 90.00 each, i told him i would get those as well, bu 1 has a red pigmant on it, can it be cleaned, or should i leave it like that, thanks

Hi Rob,
You have some nice chevron beads! The red ochre that has tinted your bead is a substance that a number of African tribes rub on their skin for certain rites of passage, like puberty and surely various others. You can read some about it in "Africa Adorned" by Angela Fisher. The ochre is mixed with animal fat. If you wish to remove it, a soak and gentle scrub may do the trick - but some people prefer to leave it. It is verification that a bead was used by indigenous peoples, in my opinion.

Hi Rob,

The first thing you should understand is that these are all 20th century beads. The price of $1,000 is probably not outrageous, but it's also not a deal. I estimate you could get these beads (that is, their equilivant) for as little as ca. $600. Or, you might be asked to pay much more than $1,000 (though usually based on the mistaken idea that these are older and rarer than they really are). Of course, the large central bead would be the most difficult to find.

When you say the beads are "2.5 inches" and "just over 1 inch," are you talking about their length or diameter? This is important to know, in judging their rarity and value. Size and condition are primary considerations, in addition to color scheme, layer number, layer conformations, shape, etc.

Good luck.

Jamey

hi, the sisze of the beads
largest 61x31mm
smallest egg shape 30x21mm
med egg shape 38x25mm

all the layers are the same pattern, 6 layer starting from cent er
white, blue, white, red, white then blue

so these are newer beads?,

Newer as in made last month or even last year? Not likely.

Newer as in made since WWII? Most likely.

Newer as in made in the 20th century? Most likely.

Newer as in NOT made in the 1700's or 1800's as is sometimes claimed? Yes!

The ironic thing is that the descriptives "older" and "newer" only have some meaning if they are compared to something else or some standard.

"Newer" than something...., "older" than something.

When someone writes "these are newer beads" or "these are older beads," he or she has told us nothing.

The appearacnce of chevron and rosetta beads from the mid-19th C. has been determined from sample cards of that time—such as are housed in the British Museum, and have been published several times.

In the LATE 19th C or (more likely) the EARLY 20th C. a new wave of rosetta/chevron beads was produced—forming the standard that is what most people think of when they hear the words "chevron bead." These are typical 4-layer and 6-layer beads, made by the Conterie at Venice, and particularly by the Moretti Company—who advertise that they have made these beads since 1911. Since this modern wave of production, the greatest proportion of rosetta/chevron beads have been more alike than different, and have the standard white, red, and blue color scheme, with a blue exterior (less often, green, stripes on white, black, less less often yellow, red, teal, etc.). THESE are the typical trade beads found in African and North American assemblages, that people tend to think are rather older than they really are (as happens with ALL beads). Of course, this doesn't mean there are no other beads with other variations of color, layer number and sequence, pattern, etc. But it does mean that the standard or typical blue beads FAR outnumber the others. And these are seen on sample cards that have their heyday in the 1920s—less than 100 years ago. And these are the standard canes sold by the Conterie when they went bankrupt about ten years ago.

Jamey

Thanks, i decided not to buy those beads, i will be looking for others, but have just purchased several of Luigi and Mario Cavignas larger chevrom beads from Carl at Africa Direct and just put a order in with Luigi directly for some of his chevrons, really looking forward to receiving these, will post pics when they arrive. Robert