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Modern African beads?
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Posted by: Karlis Post Reply
09/07/2018, 08:56:07

This strand is in a museum collection and a researcher is trying to determine its age. He is thinking 17th C. I think they look more like either 19th or 20th C African trade beads, though I have not seen this particular variety before (deep red stripes on an opaque white body). Any thoughts?

Striped_X.jpg (202.5 KB)  


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Re: Modern African beads?
Re: Modern African beads? -- Karlis Post Reply Edit Forum Where am I?
Posted by: JP Post Reply
09/07/2018, 22:41:52

I have not seen this variety either, but we have similar drawn striped beads in our Museum.
The ones in the picture are from the African trade.
The top and middle strand have a grayish blue core; the one below is plain white with pink stripes.
I think the beads in the middle strand are the same as the ones showing on the “beads traded for palm oil ”card in the British Museum. (left column, row 9).
All seem to have less stripes than the strand you are showing. sizes varies between 6.5mm to 12mm
I would guess they were made between 1800s to early 1900s
JP

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Re: Modern African beads?
Re: Modern African beads? -- Karlis Post Reply Edit Forum Where am I?
Posted by: JP Post Reply
09/07/2018, 23:02:48

I forgot to mention that the larger beads on the top strand are on the card "trade beads for central Africa" in the Pitt River Museum.
JP



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Clear glass outer layer?
Re: Modern African beads? -- Karlis Post Reply Edit Forum Where am I?
Posted by: Beadiste Post Reply
09/08/2018, 17:24:51

Did a Google images search for "red venetian gooseberry beads" and the results are consistently for white strips upon some sort of red base, just the reverse of the beads in your photo.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but it seemed to me to be a possibility that the beada have a clear outer layer. Didn't the older white-striped gooseberry beads have a clear glass outer layer?

GooseberryBeadsRed.jpg (116.3 KB)  


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Red and blue stripes on a white base
Re: Clear glass outer layer? -- Beadiste Post Reply Edit Forum Where am I?
Posted by: Beadiste Post Reply
09/08/2018, 17:39:51

A clearer shot of the other striped beads on the strand in the previous picture.

Apart from being shorter, the beads look as if they were hot-tumbled (or stirred or whatever) longer to make them more rounded.

GooseberryBeadsStriped.jpg (105.4 KB)  


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Beads in longer canes such as yours
Re: Red and blue stripes on a white base -- Beadiste Post Reply Edit Forum Where am I?
Posted by: Beadiste Post Reply
09/08/2018, 17:45:08

GooseberryBeadsCanes.jpg (192.6 KB)  


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No, just shiny
Re: Clear glass outer layer? -- Beadiste Post Reply Edit Forum Where am I?
Posted by: Karlis Post Reply
09/08/2018, 20:12:38

The beads don't have a clear outer layer. The glass is just very shiny. The gooseberry bead has a layer of clear glass that covers the clear core on which rest the white stripes.



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