Hi Russ,
I don't have these anymore - they were brought from Yemen by Abdul a couple of years ago.The coral colored ones were glass, as were the 7 at the center of the image with the bright opaque white center band, and the one to the immediate right of the top one of those. I felt the rest were all agate, and I really liked them. I felt that some were much newer than others.

hello uncle Russ and Joyce in yemen everybody call them Agates without any doubt I believe they are agates thank you
Abdul

Hi Joyce,
Thanks, Abdul,

Agates, eh? I appreciate your answers. I like these beads a lot but I'm unsure if they are all agates on my strands.

Some of the ones you show have rounded edges, maybe from wear.
Most of the beads on my strands have 1 very flat end, usually the flat side is also the layer that is darker than the white body of the bead. The white body varies in whitenes. Some are grey-white, like many agates but some are chalk white, an uncommon color for agates.

The holes are fairly uniform, about 1.5mm. Some show tear out on one end from drilling.

A few beads look like brownlip shell. Some like agates but others more like glass imitating shell and agate. I'll have to spend more time with a loup and bright light.

Let me ask about the metal beads mixed in with your beads, Joyce. The metal beads with 3 dots between bars. I've seen new and old ones of these but typically from Sudan or even Kenya. What can you tell me about these "vertebrae" looking metal beads?

Hi Russ,
Yes, the shiny sharp-edged beads indeed do look newer than the ones with rounded edges and a soft sheen. The scan is of two strands together - the one with the prayer-box type pendant had more of the older looking beads. The other strand had the long bead with metal caps as a sort of "focal". The metal beads that Paula said are Yemeni work are very similar to new and old worn ones said to be made in Nigeria. But the ones on these strands in the scan were generally a whiter metal than most I have seen from W. Africa.

Well, my analytical chemistry is pretty rusty, but wouldn't shell have a high concentration of calcium while agate would be based on silicone?

There are simple chemistry tests for calcium, but they are destructive? If you're interested, I could ask my colleagues if they know of a non-destructive test. Nancy

The first strand I purchased about 7 years ago from the Bedouin in
Beersheva Israel.I had learned from friends there that the beads came up through the Sudan and were agates.
I coincidentally picked up the 2nd strand last week in Tel Aviv at the flea market. Here the white banding is in the middle.These I believe are glass copies of the original agate beads.

Russ, the granulated silver beads are typical Yemenite work. These beads are called "berries".

Paula

The smaller beads are 7mm in diameter. Carl

Found in internet, these two examples are said to be glass from Idar Oberstein. Beads are 4 x 4 mm.

Thank you, Stefany, for this lovely image of you and Tom. It looks like all had a great time. Stefany is wearing some of the bead types being discussed here. Here is her caption:

"This shows myself and my son Tom at the opening party of the new Longchamps flagship store he designed in Soho, New York, and its just noticeable that I'm wearing among others one of my personal all-time favourite necklaces rethreaded for the elegant occasion which is composed of a series of these beads, both old and recent, real agate and glass lookalikes. One extra observation is that some of the layered agates seem to be of glued layers as a few have separated.
The other necklaces are shell discs from one of the Himalayan goods dealers from Bead Expo a few years back, and a strand of small shell Heishi-type, and a Naga strand of old red glass."

Sorry they are only just visible, but -added bonus, another personality in the bead world standing on the other side of Tom is my friend Alice Scherer, Beadwork specialist from Oregon!
Stefany
PS the pic is really another excuse to swagger a bit...

Neat! Jamey introduced me to Alice last year. What a nice lady, I've had her book since it was brand new. I must say I wasn't looking for anyone else I "knew" in the picture.

Hi Russ,

Not withstanding previous replies..., now that I have returned from Milwaukee....

The thick agate disks of white material with thin dark layers on the ends are late 19th and early 20th C. beads from Idar-Oberstein, Germany. These were made for export to countries that had long agate-bead-wearing traditions, such as the Middle East, Himalayas, Island Southeast Asia, and even North Africa. It's not unusual for these beads (lately) to be combined with other agate beads, some of which would be older, and also similar-looking glass beads that are most likely contemporaneous and Bohemian/Czech. (Counter to one reply, glass beads do not come out of Idar-Oberstein—particularly not Czech glass beads.)

Jamey

In restringing one of these to wear, we noticed that most had about 1.5mm holes but some had tiny holes. Had to use jewelrywire rather than the imitation sinew I prefer for this type. I'll have to look closer to see if one style, rounded edge or not rounded edge were the small or large hole. Once we gave up on the heavier cord we didn't take note.

I have just found this strand being auctionned at $139.00 (starting price). The colouring of the bands is somehow loose, but still nice, elegant beads...

It would be enlightening to know how are they different, may you help us?

Hello Nishedha,

Possibly a re-read of my earlier post would help.

The beads Russ asked about are distinctive modern German beads. The material is opaque white with thin dark end-layers. They are very recognizable.

The beads you show are rather different, except in shape and possibly size. (This is difficult to judge from a photo.) And, without seeing your beads in real life, I would be hesitant to say whether they are ancient or old, or what their likely origin might be, because they are not (in my eye and mind) distinctive.

See?

Do you think they look the same, apart from shape and possibly size?

Jamey

Hello Jamey,
Thank you for your help.
Well, trying to answer your last question: they look fairly the same to me, although in the broad the sense of being banded agate bead cilinders-- but now, I am just an aficionado, not a herr professor...
It is posted as coming from Tibet, and measuring "26 cms. if hanging from a nail in the wall".

Hi Nishedha,

OK. You think they are reasonably similar.

I say (again) their SHAPES and (possibly) sizes are similar. Apart from all of these beads being agate (presumably), that's where the similarity ends. The beads you show are essentially translucent with brown and pale straw-colored layers. And they are more random. The beads Russ asked about are opaque, with strong white and black layers that tend to be fairly consistent. I have seen quite a few of these beads—all of them.

I am very surprised you don't appreciate/recognize the difference.

I recognize the German beads, and I recognize them to be 20th C. products made to copy older beads.

Be well. Jamey