Hi Jake,

Plastic! That's amazing. I've never heard of that "technique" before. I actually was watching this bead, too, not because the "etching" was so convincing, but because I thought it might be an authentic bead with an inlaid design (though I haven't seen that technique on carnelian so far, only on agate). Anyway, I didn't bid on it finally because the ends looked wrong, but if I had known the lines were actually filled with plastic I probably would have done - just to add to my own little gallery of fakes.

I don't quite understand why, but in the last two or three years there has been an enormous upsurge in fake Tircul (Pyu) beads, and sometimes amulets, on eBay and other sites. The reason I put Pyu in the title here was in the faint hope that some of the buyers of these fakes might come to the forum to educate themselves with regard to what they were purchasing. Here is the # for one such item: 170871989538. This seller from Thailand does a pretty good business selling these pseudo-etched beads as well as figural glass and stone copies of ancient Tircul beads. He/she also sells a few pieces that look as though they might be genuine, but why should anybody in their right mind bother taking the risk? And now there are signs that other sellers from Thailand are catching on to the recognition that there's the possibility of a thriving market here, so I expect we'll see even more of these things turning up in the future.

And then there are the people (mainly from the US but also from France) who throw the "Pyu" tag into their headings for vintage or recent Pumteks, presumably in the hope that it will add to their credibility. It seems to be working too.

One bright note is that Jan (mosquitobay) has recently been selling some nice authentic Tircul beads on eBay at very reasonable prices. Thank heavens for honest dealers!

All the best,

Will

*Somewhere* I have a whole bunch of 'convincing' fakes (black, round beads) with the inlaid plastic which i picked up in Bangkok a few years ago, i, too covet interesting fakes and frauds! (run on sentence!)

Well this is another one to add to the 'fake' list. In the end this list on faking techniques will become longer than the one of genuine authentic techniques.
Thanks for letting us know.

You know, it's still a beautiful bead. Do you think the dealers know they are fakes? Do you think the typical buyer cares? Just curios. After a;;. isnt that why all fakes prosper? If people can't afford the real thing, they buy fakes and today it takes a real expert to tell the difference.

You've got a point Anne, but I still would like them to call a spade a spade, and it often does not take long before misrepresentation goes hand in hand with phenomenal prices....
And yes buy a bead because you like it, fake or no fake, but pay accordingly. It is the same with antique furniture, ethnic items... you should get the quality you are paying for.
And a fake bead can indeed still be a beautiful bead. I fully agree.
For me the faking/copying techniques themselves in general are very interesting on their own. It shows resourcefulness and sometimes great craftmanship.

I have absolutely nothing against reproducing historical beads, it is misinformation that bothers me. Knowledge is of course our best ally, and I posted to inform.

I am not sure if these are authentic, but I got these from a seller on ebay.(maybe the same one from Thailand) at a reasonable price. the hole seems to be too large..

they can come out of the ground thousands of years later in exactly the condition as when then they where originally buried! Very different than ancient burial glass beads, or heirloom beads. So many different types of analysis come into play in identifying ancient burial stone beads. One must handle many, many authentic ancient stone beads; constantly look for a fakers ignorance, laziness, or misplaced technology. looking for incorrect tool marks, looking for the correct type of wear indicator, the exact correct type of style for the era.

That said, I think your beads are authentic, I do not think the perforations are large, actually at that time small perforations where more difficult. I am sure Will, Jan, or Matt would have more useful information.

A not so interesting side note: I have noticed that most of the e-bay beads sold directly out of Thailand, and China are fake(BCN contributers excepted). I often, and generally speaking notice the dealers selling ancient beads directed out of Afghanistan, Canada, EU, Germany, Mauritania, Pakistan, Singapore, UK etc.. are more typically authentic.

Anyone know how to contact Anita Mui, as I have lost contact with her and messages through the forum to her came back as undeliverable?

I'm an old friend of hers.

Thanks!
Tim