The Bead Renaissance in September is a much larger event; in conjunction with the second largest Gem and Mineral show in the United States. He will be back then after going to Africa. At the Bead Renaissance Fair there are a few more sellers of old beads. I ran into an apparently relatively new African bead dealer and felt compelled the buy my first necklace in many years. I know, I know I am slipping into addiction AGAIN! I paid $90 for the necklace, pictured below and it included the single Kiffa bead I included with my Kiffa necklace. Should one capitalize Kiffa? I think so.

It has been said many times that no one has demonstrated any Roman Period beads coming from West Africa. Repeatedly, when "Roman" beads are beads from the digs in Mali, they date from the Islamic Period, and have been misidentified. (One may score a better sale's price from people if you say the beads are older than they are. And any time you can connect "Roman" to an artifact, the price can be greatly raised.)

Of course, there are MANY Roman Period beads from the Middle East, Central Asia, SE Asia, and even Island SE Asia.

So, where are they from?

Jamey

I'm not a "bead god," but more of an earnest authority trying to help.

These are Islamic Period glass beads, such as many also are, from the corpus of beads dug at and around Mali.

Jamey

Indeed, I did say that when I saw your necklace! It's quite wonderful. Bryson's work is impeccable ... and Jake's is beyond perfect! I'd love to make a date with you to get together. Bryson gave me your number and I have it on my list to give you a call ... soon! I decided not to go to RMBB. How was it?

I've posted my own kiffa design ... a choker-length piece that I did a couple of years ago.

Howdy all~

I just wanted to follow Carole's lead and show my finds. I actually did not expect to make any personal purchases as this show is mostly retail, but imagine my joy to find these three antiques. Unfortunately, sold with very little provenance (someone's estate). The first, a little Roman millefiori, the second an ancient faceted jasper pendant purchased from Andy at Anahita a decade plus ago. The third is this 22mm x 13mm five layer chevron! Unfortunately chipped on one side. I can definitely see the wear characteristics of true age on this bead, but do not recognize the color. the white is fine, and the brick is true, but the black is kind of a dark semi translucent eggplant. Does any one have any info regarding this bead? Age, value?

Thanks.

I think those 5L chevs are from approx. 1920s and are featured in the Picard vol. 7 chevron book. The prices have gone crazy in recent years. Someone else has a more current estimate than I...... about 8 years ago you could buy a strand for less than 700.00. In the past year or so I heard one bead could be around 150.00. Everyone will have a different opinion....but this one, since it is mitered, and chipped on both ends, I would ask some talented chevron grinder, such as Alan Curtis or Rick Rice, to refinish the ends for me so I could wear and enjoy it more. Observing that it will not have the same value as an original grind, but would look nicer and have more aesthetic value as a jewelry component.

One of my favorite chevrons.....these old 5 layer "black" ones.

Carl

I routinely refer to these as "black chevron beads." Nevertheless, the color of the outer glass is not truly black, because MOST glasses that appear to be "black" are usually a saturated version of a conventional color. [Man, there's a LOT of dialogue about this specific problem/issue here. I really hesitate to bring it up again, lest what I say be misinterpreted yet again....] Among Venetian beads, the most common "black" glass is deep violet. However, since at least the 16th C., Venetians have also made what is called a "madder red," or "wine red," that when saturated passes for black—which is what forms the outer layers of the beads we are discussing.

Rosetta beads with white base layers date from the mid to late 19th C. HOWEVER, we only know this from a few specimens that exist on a few sample cards. These few beads are distinctive. They are small in diameter, and have poorly "whittled" ends. It's not the reasonably precise faceted look of earlier and later (20th C.) beads..., but has the look you'd get if you sharpen a pencil with a knife. Plus, the starry layers also tend to be sloppy.

Moretti introduced the modern chevron beads with white bases, in four-layer and six-layer editions in 1917. All typical late, modern rosetta beads post-date this time (even though they are routinely sold as deriving from an earlier time, and are usually sold as "antique"—which they are not—as I define "antique"). Until some incontrovertible proof comes to light to enlarge our perspective, and push the time of manufacture back—this is what I will maintain.

There are also some (I believe) 20th C. beads that resemble the late 19th C. beads (which should not be surprising at all). These have been presented as the earlier beads, when I believe they are not that.

I have to say I don't know who made the sloppy black five-layer beads we're discussing here, that have a red layer next to a black layer. But I would have to guess that they post-date the introduction of the Moretti beads. And the 1920s seem like a likely time.

As has been pointed out many times here and elsewhere, your millefiori bead has come out of Mali, from Islamic Period digs. It is not a "Roman" bead.

I was just speaking with Andy Hale on the phone about a week ago. I wish he and Kate were still in the beads business—because they always had such great stuff. My collection is richer for it.

Be well. Jamey

I wrote about Moretti and "1917." My mistaken memory. The actual date (often repeated by me at the Forum) is 1911.

(1917 was the year that B. H. Carroll composed The Carroll Report, on Venetian glass beads!)

JDA.

Now these beads lay on my table at home. I keep going to them and picking them up, tangling them, then untangling them and wrapping them around my hand. They are hypnotizing me!