This is a strand of Copal I picked up. They are about 18-20 mm in length and 15 mm in diameter.

Hi George,

Although there are lots of amber beads around, and some copal beads, a great percentage of the time (particularly among African beads) what is called "amber" or "copal," is really plastic. The best imitations of amber are composed of phenolic plastic (related to Bakelite, and harder than actual amber).

You can demonstrate this for yourself.

Into a glass or jar, put eight ounces of tap water (one cup) and stir in three tablespoons of salt. This will make a brine in which amber (and copal) will float. Phenolic plastic beads will sink like rocks.

Since there are many different kinds of plastics used to imitate amber, I can't judge what your beads are, but I can tell they are not copal, and are most likely not amber. Since the majority of imitations, and therefore the most common and readily available "amber" beads, are phenolic, it is safe to guess that this is what you have.

Make the brine from the above formula, drop in a bead or two—and then tell us what happens.

Jamey

Your formula amounts to a saturated salt solution. Due to my lack of bead stringing skills I kept the strand together and made a large bowl of the brine. The beads did indeed sink. I am somewhat surprised since some of the beads seemed to have inclusions and streaks of impurities. I am also surprised since I bought them from one of the most reputable dealers. Oh well, live and learn.

Hi George,

It is always disheartening the first time this happens. I am sorry for your disappointment.

I wrote the article that conclusively demonstrated that a large percentage of "amber" beads from Africa (and many places, in fact) is really plastic, in 1976.

I've spent the intervening thirty years continuing to promote this factual information. Nevertheless, the misrepresentation of plastic as "amber" or "copal" is rampant in all parts of the bead community and world. Africans, who are closest to these beads, and have a—let's say—"cultural investment" in believing these beads are real amber, have been some of the least likely folks to understand and accept the truth. And who can blame them? They have been told these fakes were amber ever since the time this (phenolic) material was introduced to them (probably beginning in 1927). It is gratifying when the occasional bead seller comes to realize the true situation, and to desist from misrepresenting these beads. But it does not happen often.

Then, some bead sellers are likely to take the attitude that 'everyone knows it's not really amber, and this is just a name we use'—but that can be a counterproductive stance too, because "everyone" does not know this. As I have mentioned in the past, that these beads are "culturally amber" is a pragmatic fact. They have a certain value, and (usually or often) are actually old beads, that are/were worn by people as part of their jewelry. However, when new plastic beads come into the picture and THEY become misrepresented (as both "old" beads and "amber"), what are we going to do?

Right now, the Chinese are cranking-out plastic-amber beads like you cannot believe (based on the African styles of yesteryear). Chinese fakes are already routinely sold as "antique Tibetan amber." Is this happening in Africa too? I'll bet it is.

Be well. Jamey

I am aware of the fake 'Amber' beads being produced at this time in large quantities in Marrakech and also in the Tarroudant regions of Morocco. (Some examples 'better looking!' and with better finish than others, but all blatantly new.

Do you have an image of the Chinese production Amber?
As yet I am not aware of there being Chinese 'Amber' available alongside it, but will keep my eyes peeled and let you know .............
Warm wishes
Sarah

Hi Jamey,
Here is a pic of some recent purchase from Tarroudant region. I shall take some more pics of others to post when I have a moment!! In Morocco this is known as Copal, but I think that it is resin or plastic of some kind. There are other types, which I think are different materials.
Warm wishes
Sarah

Photographed in Nepal. These pieces are imported from China primarily for the Tibetan marketplace. Enjoy!!

Hi,
Thanks for the reference shots.
I havent come accross these yet in Morocco, In fact the only chinese beads I have seen so far are the seed beads. These are selling for around £1.80 per 500g bag( Depends size / colour). I have sent a handful of the small chinese chevrons (drilled) as a gift to a jewellery maker from the south, and asked him if they are available to him as yet, I shall let you know!

There are plenty of Indian glass, some quite well made , others terrible! these are sold for around £5 per 1 kilo box for the best quality omes, £2 per 1 kilo box for the really nasty ones!

I have added a picture of some beads which are sold as Saharan Amber These were sourced In Marrakech.

I have photos of girls wearing these from over twenty years ago. In my 1976 article, I called these the "dubious yellow beads." Thay are made from thermolabile plastic, and are not really decent imitations of amber.

Jamey

Yes............... to me these do not look at all like fossil Amber, but are widely named Saharan Amber by the Berber who wear as well as sell it.

Hello Jamey,

The amber imitation pieces have yet to be drilled. Which I thought was strange when I handled them. They are plastic and have been darkened to give a look of age. They don't look very convincing to me but I like them anyway. I have seen these 'darkened' pieces available in Nepal for at least 5 years. They are more in keeping with the large amber pieces Tibetans use in a headress or hair adornment.

I am not an expert on the materials used in these beads. However, some of them are the usual dyed bamboo coral. There are also plastic pieces and beads made from other hard materials that give an 'almost authentic' appearance. However, the colour and feel is never quite right in my opinion. If you know the real stuff from the fakes it is still easy to tell the difference.

Some of the turquoise pieces can also be convincing. They seem to have got better in the last couple of years. The best are said to be made from 'turquoise powder'. Whether this is true I do not know but this is what most traders rattle off when you ask them. I'm inclined to believe that other materials are being used. I have broken a few of these beads (with difficulty) to know that the colour doesn't always carry deep into the bead. Although imitation turquoise beads usually have a striking colour they still fall short of looking natural to me. Some beads even come in a 'free form' shape with black matrix to give the appearance of a genuine stone.

There seem to be many more Chinese beads flooding the markets in the Tibetan settlements these days. They are very cheap and Tibetans seem not to mind. In fact I'm sure they are delighted to have affordable beads. It seems that most of the beads worn out and about by Tibetans these days are modern Chinese or Taiwanese replicas. I think this will make it very difficult for newcomers to tell the difference between old and new in the years to come.

All the best,

James

Beads in the Street, Nepal.

Hi James,

Thanks for your reply. I have been pursuing the fake-turquoise question for about a year now—and I believe I reached critical mass at Tucson this year. I am now preparing a short article for the newsletter of The Bead Museum, where I will divulge my findings.

I can only say that I am grateful I was able to see real Tibetan artifacts twenty to thirty years ago, to have a fairly firm view of their ornamentation. (Books help too, of course.) New fake Tibetan amber has been circulating for over fifteen years now. I haven't been as diligent in acquiring specimens, as I might—partly because I refuse to buy anything from the dealer who sells the most, and sells to many other sellers. (You know who I mean.) But I have witnessed it happening, and I have the beads I have. And I have some very nice authentic Tibetan amber beads too. The contrast is the sublime to the ridiculous.

Here's a question for you. A friend of mine went to Tibet recently. She claims that everywhere she went, she saw no real coral beads—but only "glass imitations." I responded that they must have been new dyed coral, and not glass—and I can't think of much in the way of glass imitations (apart from the pseudo-sherpa beads from India) that would be there in big quantities. So I think my friend has mistaken dyed coral for glass (especially since she "didn't see any dyed coral"). Do you know of scads of new glass beads imitating coral, in Tibet, now?

Jamey

Hello Jamey,

I personally haven't come across any 'new' glass imitations. Even the old 'Sherpa Coral' is now very thin on the ground but this is the only glass coral I have seen. There could certainly be new glass beads being made but I haven't seen them. I tend to only look for the old stuff and easily overlook traders with Chinese beads.

Your friend was correct in saying that there is little genuine coral available in the marketplace. The 'best' flawless red coral that I saw this year (January) was selling at 4500 Rupees per gram!! That's around $60 a gram to you. Tibetans recognise that it will soon be gone and routinely bump up there prices. The average 'red' coral price seems to be around $20 per gram. Coral hunters are far more likely to find a good vintage mediterranean coral necklace in Europe or the US at a fraction of this cost.

I look forward to read your findings on fake turquoise. You do us all a great service with your work. If I come across any imitation glass coral beads I will get a sample for you.

All the best,

James

Here is a Shell necklace I found. I think they are Conus shell but the dealer would only call them "sea shell". The center bit is 20 mm in diameter while the small ones on the ends are 10 mm. The whole strand is about 28 inches long not counting the thread.

These are usually presented as "necklaces" for the purpose of sales. The women who wear these attach them to the coiffure. They are also sewn flat onto necklaces (and probably other jewelry items).

These are very nice "beads"—or whatever one would want to call them.

Jamey

These shells are beautiful. Congratulations on a superb haul! And thanks for sharing!
Kindest regards
Sarah

Hi George,

I don't really indulge in envy much..., but it is a matter of fact that I had intended to acquire a strand of these handsomne brass beads at Tucson this year—but I didn't see any of the quality I would want to own. So, lucky you (!).

Jamey

I found these in the African Art Village. I beleive it was Ebrihams booth although somebody else waited on me.

Here is a Ghana mix strand I picked up. It is hard to tell from this picture but I think the center bead is a "moon bead" or at least made from something made to look like it. There are also a couple of trailed Venetians and what I think are some older Czech beads. One of the things I noticed about the Ghana mix this year is that they are starting to include new Chinese and Czech glass.

This is another Ghana mix strand that I got from Alhaji. The center bead is made from recycled fragments. It also contains several nice trailed venetians and some attractive powder glass imitations.

Next up is a strand of glazed ceramic chinese beads that cost all of $4. They are 10 mm in diameter and the strand is 34 inces long.

Next up are some small chinese chevrons that Jamey pointed out to me at the best bead show. They are 8 mm in diameter and each strand has about 16 inches of beads. They cost a whole $3 per strand.

Next up is some Indian glass beads. When I saw Turtlebears question about pound beads this is what I thought of. I figure each bag weighs about a pound. They cost $6 per bag. I have no idea what I'm going to do whith them yet but I have them now when inspiration strikes me.

This was a gift from Bassam that he just gave me out of the blue while I was visiting his booth. It is roughly 17 x 13 mm. Bassam thought it was old Venetian while Joyce said it might be Islamic. I don't know what it is but it was real nice of Bassam, Thank You again! Jamey feel free to offer what opinion you can based on my rather poor photographs

You may remember a while back Joyce posted a picture of a rather large pile of Moon beads. Well here is one of them. It measures 31 x 25 mm.

This is a replica of a Warring States bead. Probably as close as I'll ever get to owning the real thing. It measures 29 x 24 mm.

This is a replica Jatim bead. Again probably as close as I'll ever get to a real one. It measures 21 x 19 mm.

Here is a gift I got from Joyce. The Dogbones are 13 mm long and 6 mm dia. in the center. The larger beads in the other group are 5 mm in diameter. The really small beads are 2 mm in diameter and according to Joyce are the smallest Chevrons ever made. With a Loupe I can count 4 layers. This begs the question: Why?

These are some Chinese beads that I found as singles. They might be a bit older in that they appear to have drilled holes. Nothing fancy, I just liked them.

The chevrons based on single flower mosaics were the first of the chevrons out of China. First saw them 3 or 4 years ago.

Finally a rather dark photo of this years take. One thing I noticed about that strand of green Venetian millifiore is that they are very fragile! They seem to drop chips spontaneously while sitting there. I don't know how they lasted this long!

Here's a strand that I bought from Marie Jawara at our last DC Bazaar. He often has 2-3 for sale at our bazaars, though I didn't see any at his booth at the African Village. My question is how to clean them so that they won't look new, yet will still be a bit shinier. Wire brush? Brass polish?
TIA Paula

Hi Paula,

That's an interesting question.

I used to use Brasso and steel wool to clean old brass (or copper). It sounds like it might be "too much"—but actually I was reasonably careful not to clean "too much." However, it was A LOT of work.

On TV, a couple of months ago, I saw a treatment that is EASY and works WONDERFULLY WELL. Now, I would not do anything else. And it's safe too.

Take a small plate or shallow bowl (like for a coffee cup), and pour some table salt onto it. Maybe two or three tablespoon's worth. Cut a lemon in half (or save a half lemon from dinner preparations, if it still has some juice in it). Dip the lemon into the salt, and begin to rub the salt and juice onto the brass piece. Use the lemon as the applicator, and occasionally dip more salt onto it.

You will be AMAZED at how fast the brass becomes clean and sparkly, but not "stripped." It even dissolves years of ugly black grime really fast. Stop when it's as clean as you want it to be. Rinse and dry the object. I am going to clean a very nice African piece I got during the Tucson show, later today.

(This also works very well for pots and pans, and any copper/brass item. I've now done all the nasty pans in my kitchen.)

Have fun! Jamey

Nice to know it's effective for brass too.

Here's a great brass pendant that came to me from the African Village at Tucson, a few weeks ago. I was told it's from Burkina Faso. It seems to represent eight snakes intertwined together.

After some consideration, I decided to give it a cleaning, to remove some of the grime. I used the lemon-&-salt method, but I was (for the first time) surprised that it didn't melt away all of the dark stuff. Not that I wanted the piece to be striped. After giving it the treatment, and a soap-&-water rinse, I then proceeded to buff it for almost an hour with a rouge cloth (rubbing the hardest on the dark areas, like the snakes' necks).

The photo shows before (the left) and after. One look is not intrinsically better than the other, but shiny brass can be very attractive. One day, it'll be tarnished again....

Jamey