Here is another example of a cloisonné bead - a dragon bead with "shrimp like" eyes and an apparently slotted hole, now made into a pendant with silver hardware. Maybe the bead was originally for an obidome?

Chris, I think you are showing excellent examples. The painterly quality and indented corners are very unusual on the blue one. I assume your beads are one and one half to two inches. Mine is one inch.

Nice! Re. your copper comments, you might investigate: https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/cons_toc.html#collectionpreservation for appropriate treatments, or
https://www.copper.org/resources/properties/protection/clear_finishes.html (in the latter, see 5% oxalic acid mixture but I would suggest trying it without pumice powder). I would definitely test a tiny area first, using the gentlest means possible (little pressure and a Q-Tip?). I seem to recall that oxalic acid is the main ingredient in certain cleaners; you might find something you could use readily available at a local Alaska hardware store by Googling.

Much smaller than those circular dragon/phoenix beads with the slotted holes -

measures about 25x30mm, or about an inch and 1.25 inches.

Decided not to clean off the patina on the copper - the colors are more apparent uninterrupted by shiny little bits of metal.

I really like this little thing, and now don't feel so bad about the price.

Speaking of prices, remember that string of cloisonne beads with Japanese enamel and designs, on red inro cord?

Going through my pic files, I found one from an eBay auction a couple of months ago - the darned thing went for $80. Criminy. Obviously I'm doing this wrong, LOL!

I rarely see Japanese cloisonné beads on eBay; but if these are any comparison, seems like you got a deal... https://www.ebay.com/sch/Other-Japanese-Antiques/73466/m.html?item=253123373692&hash=item3aef542a7c%3Ag%3AuzAAAOSw5adZpiv%7E&_ssn=barbie411g

I would value each of this wild ebay seller's ojime at ten percent of the asking price. -Except for #253123367996, which could very well bring half as much as the Buy it Now price…What kind of person does he think may buy them? Is it worthwhile being that kind of dealer?

for $82/each: https://www.etsy.com/listing/536265625/unique-antique-chinese-gilt-cloisonne?ga_search_query=chinese&ref=shop_items_search_1

Seems pretty steep.

Identical to some in your blog: http://www.beadiste.com/2015/03/puzzling-evidence-mysterious-belts-and.html

And, I am willing to be persuaded differently, if anyone can find evidence rather than hearsay to support the idea.

Even though many Japanese antiques dealers in obidome try to sell them as obidome…

We can see slotted hole cloisonné beads in metal belts working better than usage as obidome.
The beads' apertures are far too thin, wide and abrasive for usage on thickly woven ribbons.
Also, the angular Chinese look of the beads is disturbing -to me- against Japanese textiles.

In general, I do not find Chinese things blending well with Japanese things.

The mystery to me is where the champleve versions of this bead were produced, as they were definitely exported to the US for use in costume jewelry - brooches and belts.

What I wonder is if they were reproduced as copies of the cloisonne dragon/phoenix beads that evidence seems to indicate were made during the 1920s - 1930s in China.

The head of the phoenix resembles a ruffled chicken; it has the requisite sloe eye, but lacks the long beak and crest.

Enamel colors and the use of openwork champleve on some of the versions seems entirely Chinese, which seems to rule out US manufacture.

How they got mixed in with the cloisonne version of this design is a mystery.

There was a Chinese factory that produced rather nice champleve pieces during the 1950s-70s, often selling pieces under the Peking Jewelry Company name, and bearing a base stamp of GuYiZhaiCang. Unknown if they were in any way connected to the producers of the 1930s beads.

There are others, but this little canister appears in various color combinations.

Hard to see what else these could have been made to be.

Alas, no dragon beads.

Is this cool or what?

http://www.geocities.jp/sharakushippou/obidomeseisaku.html

Even if your information is inconclusive, your wonderful collection of images and sources should be published so that other bead scholars in the future may be helped along.