If you can see "grains" of glass when looking with a magnifying glass or microscope, they are also powder glass. A lot of imitation coral was made in this color using the powder glass method. I think they are at least 50 years old. All these beads look like they have been oiled - did they come that way?

most ca. 1990s

Hi Rosanna,
Thanks, without any doubt, there are glass powder and recent. Yes they have been oiled with shea butter, that I put, so that you saw better colors, the beads were mat.

Listed as made by the Yoruba, Nigeria. Asking price for beads like these is about $5 per bead, which is a bit high IMHO.

its important to indicate sizes- if the largest bead is not more than about 15mm long it could be japanese stained bone resembling coral! otherwise either powder glass or something else stained red, for example there are chunky clay beads with added colour that are seen on some Moroccan necklaces ...

Thanks Stefany!
the size of the big red is 6,5cm x 4,3, and the another beads are between 3,1 x 2,2 and 2,7 x 1,7. The imitation of the coral is very unrefined. I think there were made in Africa, perhaps Ghana or another country.

Everything looks as if it was treated to a coat of grease...

huh?

Interesting amalgam of beads! My own take is that it looks like a mix of new powdered glass beads from Ghana and old Hebron-style beads that were then "aged" in some sort of grease. It is possible that these are mostly new beads made to look old?

mostly tow-part bicones and other dry-powder types made for a short while in the 1990s. The two "corals"? -- who knows? What material? Typical shabby photos disguising simple truth!

http://www.cmog.org/artwork/bodom-bead

Thanks for your answer!
I thought there are not true bodom, there are glass powder beads made in Africa. Where? I don't know, they come perhaps from the same country than the another glass powder beads that are from one color. I called them "modern Bodom", because they want maybe imitated bodom. But I do not know if they come from Ghana. But one of them is an islamic: that is often the surprise in these necklaces: the black one with white stripes near the big red bead!!. Once, I discovered a Morfia bead in a necklace with beads without any value!! it is the surprise of the researcher of beads in Africa!!!!

Powder glass beads from Ghana imitating Bodom, King beads, Coral, Hebron, Amazonite, Amsterdam blue glas and even an early Islamic one.
But all imitations, on the local market 1 or 2 dollars maximal for the whole string.
Sorry!
Marinus

Thanks, Marinus. I thought that there were modern. But I did not see that the islamic was even an imitation. Yes, but you are right, all are wrong. I never believed that there were true, but I was intrigued by this necklace, because I went to the market to beads almost every day, and I had never seen this kind of necklace. Don't be sorry, I had no illusion, it was just of the curiosity!!!!

thanks Frederick,
I admit that I have liked never a lot bodom, thus I do not know them very well. Here are some beads. You can tell me if they are bodom?. I have a doubt also. I believe that akoso are more interesting. Here is a serie of pics of the samples that I have. What do you think about it?

I forgot the size: 3,3cm x 2,9 for the first, the second: 3,6cm x 2,9 and the third, this one: 3,1 cm x 1,8. The last seems older, the glass seems very affected.

and the serie of akoso. The bigger is 2,8 cm x 1,3 and the smaller 1,8 x 1,1.
For the second pic: there are biconic: the bigger is 1,4 x 2,1 and the smallest: 0,6 x 1,4

the last: approximately : 1,3 x 0,9 and 1,2 x 0,8

These are found in various shades of yellow, and occasionally with aqua color added to the brown & black trailing. When the Venetian beads get well-worn, they sometimes are mistaken for their powder glass "cousins". I think the Venetians copied the traditional African designs, not vice-versa. But this is open to debate.

Yes,I agree with you. the european did need to lure back the africans to trade with them, they made copies with designs that they knew and that represented a value. I have the same beads as those of your necklace, and I did note, at the level of the hole, that the glass was rolled up, they are obviously European, perhaps venetian.
These beads, here, are different: the glass powder is not european, I think so, and the glass around the hole is not rolled up, and it is wider, not regular. What do you think about the biconic too?: I have many venetian biconic and these are very different. I would think that they are african.

For the specific beads in these pictures, I'm not sure since I'm not an expert in Akosu powder glass. These look to me like the decoration was added after the beads was made - could they be decorated with ceramic paint?

thanks Rosanna,
No, the décoration was not added after the beads was made. absolutely not. There are not my favorite beads, I prefer the kiffa, for example!!! and many other!!!
And what do you think about the bigger beads that I sent above? they are not venetian, the powder glass is clear different, but are they bodom? the last seems older than the other.

Maybe others can chime in?

Yes, Rosanna, I agree with you, I was not sure about these beads, that I found in Ivory Coast and Cameroun accidentally. Thanks for this interesting debate!

y'all don't know what "bodom" means.

Good references are included in Picards' intro. All of the Picard exhibits are treasures for those interested in African Trade Beads.

http://beadcollector.net/cgi-bin/anyboard.cgi?fvp=/openforum/&cmd=get&cG=130313639373&zu=313031363937&v=2&gV=0&p=

Thanks for this long debate, it was so instructive for me, and I did learn to appreciate Bodom. I understand now why bodom and akoso are so appreciate

Collectors often say: "I know what I like."

But actually: they like what they know about.