I saw this last week - the first glass foil I've seen, seller states it is Czech and dates from the 1930's...

This is a very well-made piece of costume jewelry from Czechoslovakia. However, it has no relation to the beads in question. These are not beads, but rather bezel-set glass "stones" that are foil-backed, and imitate baguette emeralds.

Foil beads are made very differently.

Pleasant to see, but does not respond to the question.

JDA.

I've always believed these to have been made in Japan.

you may be right, Japanese was my first thought, but not all look to be Japanese from the photo, or maybe it's just because it's late and my eyes aren't focusing :) Here are some Japanese foil beads from my collection

At the risk of being ridiculed, I must say I've learned a lot about foil beads (one of my passions) from eBay. I think you could probably describe your friend's beads as Czech or Bohemian. If you do a search for Bohemian foil glass on eBay you'll see some listing like those attached. I hope it's ok to copy pictures (these happen to be from closed auctions) as long as I'm not using them to sell anything??? If not please delete.

Best regards,
Melissa

And Mel: you said exactly what I was thinking when I posted in this thread. I don't feel comfortable identifying some beads these days unless I actually saw them being made!

I hope this photo posts properly. I put these on the scanner.

Make me think post-war Japan.....1950s - early 60s...from handling job-lot stuff at General Bead SF from east coast warehouses when I worked there in the 80s....plus also Yone used to have similar items back then too.

Because of the colours, the necklace length and design, and even the clasps. The japanese foil beads were often sold loose and are all the same sizes.
The czech beads always appear to have been made in sets of the various shapes with most foil only on the feature beads, assembled into these short symmetrical layouts. 1940's -50's?

BCN disclaimer: as far as I know!

Oooh, I like the white ones with the squggles, don't remember ever seeing Japanese foil beads with trail decoration, are they very common?

Melissa

Wish I had more!

Hi Jamey

I think I'm with Stef on this one. I believe the ones you showed are Czech (or at least European).

I do have plenty of Japanese ones, but the colours and shapes on yours are much more related to Czech beads IMHO, and do not seem to relate to any of the Japanese ones shown so far.

Here are some of my Japanese ones, which originally came with a label saying MADE IN JAPAN - these are opaque 'chestnut' brown versions of the same beads in white and blue shown by Kathleen & Mel H.

These have never been strung, and are as new as the day they were made as I purchased them loose and unused in the 1980's from a jewellery company who had used them in their designs post-WWII (probably 1950's/1960's). Two of them were originally together but broke apart, showing not only the cream-coloured release in the holes, but also that at least two beads had been made side by side on the same mandrel.

It'll be interesting to see what else comes out of this one.

Cheers
Carole

I have to say first that I know very little about Japanese beads, but they sure do remind me of Czech beads I saw in Jablonec.
I have added two sample cards from the Jablonec museum with foil beads. (Jamey or Russ may have better pictures of the same cards?)

The first one is not very clear, but have a look at the blue strand in the left bottom corner.....

The necklaces you show are much more similar to those that Jamey posted than the Japanese beads I posted. So you've changed my opinion regarding Czech vs. Japanese.

The troubling part is those loose beads shown on the cards on the left. While I can't make them out in great detail, several of them look to me to be beads that I have always understood to be Venetian. Hmmmmm.

Hi Rachel and Floor,

I'd like to keep this discussion separate from the topic covered in this thread. And, in fact, I do have better photos of the specimens mentioned, that I will post in my Czech offering (if I am still here to compose that).

The Jablonec Glass Museum displays at least two sample cards that feature VENETIAN glass beads. I don't know what the reasoning may have been—whether the cards have been misidentified, are just specimens they have that they have not recognized and/or perhaps have given no thought to—or what the situation may be.

But I sincerely doubt these are Czech beads. (NOT 'Czech versions of Venetian beads.') They appear to be Venetian sample cards.

Once again, regarding the ID of the beads in-question here—let's remember that modern Japanese glass beads (AND some modern Indian glass beads) strongly resemble Czech beads BECAUSE the makers were trained by Czech beadmakers to perform this work. The glass is similar, and the bead styles are similar.

THIS is the quandary we face, in trying to provide an identification for such products.

I will reveal the original inquiry I received, and my answer to the owner in a short time.

Be well. Jamey