another one I only have seen this one

one rolled under my door too :D

a way cool bead

...are there two beads...?
Very cool....!

translucent Emerald green core

Yours are a close match to these cross beads I recently acquired. I think mine might be green core too, but are more saturated with colorant and appear to be opaque black. The white cross with the dot in the center is on one side only. Sometimes the cross is tilted or messed up. I might have spotted a match in the Sick bead cards, but I have only the small jpegs, and the example is turned so I can't see the white cross.

Ohh I love this topic, and this bead in particular! Stunning colors and love the aventurine!

I have seen other black and white types similar to these but not the blue and yellow variety

Thomas, I love the blue one and thank you for all the other great pictures and for sharing with us.

This is one of my favorites that i have in this style. The red is translucent (ruby glass?)

the aqua colored bead on the right side is a weird one for me

and as always, a labor of love!!!

Thank you Thomas for starting this one and showing your beautiful specials...!!
Just three "all-time-favorites" from my side....I do not remember where, but I guess I have seen versions of the first two somewhere on the net...

It´s a little risky, showing beads, that are "unique" for a collector heart...will the feelings change if someone is showing a full strand (don´t do it, Carl...:-))....??

What a great bead!!!

Posted this before but still my favorite "unusual" single - it's on a sample card so I know it's Venetian.

What a fun game!!! We are so easily amused and delighted by these small, but significant bits of creation and culture.....

This is just about my favorite bead....when Jamey visited and saw this one he said "Can't you just imagine an old italian in front of the torch, making these beads...and they're really good at it, and they know it." A really sweet little masterpiece....great dimension and form....

like this crumpled Chevron :-)

I collect mostly singles, especially when it comes to millefioris.
The only strands I have bought were mixed strands. Because of these mixed strands and some batches I bought, I do have doubles, but not deliberately.

I guess when showing single beads, I could put up most of my millefiori collection. I will not bore you with that, but picked out a few of mine that I think are probably not found in big quantities.

I usually look for pairs or small groups of matched beads when I shop. I also buy the occasional mixed lot or special single bead. Most of these beads came to me mixed with other beads.

The long oval with the gold foil and pale blue dots is my first collectible bead and is the bead that started the whole thing. I found it in an open box in the old funky Goodwill store. The box contained broken jewelry bits for 5 and 10 cents apiece. I put together the beginnings of a jewelry making kit by picking through the box for findings and loose beads. It drew me back to the store again and again over the years until a fire closed the store. Goodwill did not come back for another 6 years, and then in corporate guise with high prices, and certainly with no open boxes of junk jewelry.

Anyway, back to the dotted golden bead... I've seen only one other strand online, a necklace at auction which went for far more than I can afford, and those were round beads, not long ovals.

I think the green/gold oval with white core is Venetian. Please correct if I'm mistaken.

Two of those wed cakes go together, different sizes, just noticed it in the photo.

I've not seen another like the round yellow/red/green millie.

One of birdi's beads caught me eye, as I have a strand of 52 of them.

I think they're from one of the early cards in the Sick Collection - but is there some other bit of lore about them of which I am ignorant?

Ha - remembering Uwe's plea to Carl to not to whip out a whole strand of a favorite single bead. So, I'm not trying to be a bead whale or anything, just curious about these little beads.

I see those fancies around and in the books, though they aren't especially plentiful. It's just that I have only a single intact one at this point. I've seen them called ghost beads or face beads or whatever. It's fun to see you have an entire strand.

This is an unmatched bead topic, not a super rare bead topic. Isn't it?

...want to make jokes on you or your bead. I love this version too and it´s worth to show for sure! My "LOL" was just about, what beadiste wrote: "Ha - remembering Uwe's plea to Carl to not to whip out a whole strand of a favorite single bead." It was more a laughing about myself and I truly hope, Carl and all others will not stop showing whole stands of rare, super rare or just beautiful beads, on this thread or on others...I´m very sorry, if my "plea" or my "LOL" was misunderstood!!
The differences between German and English are somewhat tricky for me when it comes to humor and I´m sure, it wasn´t the first time, I made a gaffe, and it will not be my last...

I laughed out loud at the mention of Carl posting a whole strand of super gorgeous beads... my desk area at work has had many of Carl's photos gracing it - it's eye candy and it makes me smile. Right now I have a photo of a strand of beads that Matt was selling. I attempted to buy it, then stopped short when I realized I couldn't manage the finances. The longing is sometimes part of the thrill, eh?

Words are easily misunderstood. I think the question may also have been about the type of beads, as well.

The beauty of this forum is that we come together about the beads, and we struggle to communicate - but we usually succeed!!

I did some of the same thing too. I saw Tasart's "strange and wierd" bead and showed part of my strand. I purposely did not show all, remembering your plea.

OK Uwe, no offense taken. We are all a little sensitive showing off our unusual beads, hoping they are as rare as we wish them to be. I included a few that are more plentiful, but they are my singles, and I'm lucky to have them. Buying more is probably out of the question unless a good deal is found, and that does not happen very often. I'm happy to see other people's whole strands of my lonely beads. Even if I can't have them, I like the photos.

oh my, these are beautiful!!!

I have never seen a black based and decorated bead in a shape like this one...very cool, Carl! I´m glad you are in, despite my cheeky words...
The colors of the eye decoration from your black bead reminds me on this one, just sold - to China...

I know I wanted this bead!!! i missed the end of the auction:) Gorgeous! I am going to have to post some different and weird ones!:)

first post. file to large? one pic?

Okay that pic posted. I have a new computer. Sorry. Back later.

Glad to see you post the image. Sorry I didn't respond sooner, but looks like you got it. <169k. Editing at 72dpi, about 650 pixels wide usually gives me an image that works nicely. Don't forget to sharpen before saving, and choose the best quality that will still keep you under 169k.

That was not the image intended. I did post the bead on ebay for enough to not sell it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110915163691?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

Joyce had sent a bead a while back in a trade, and lo and behold, I found his long lost brother in a batch

The one I sent quite more rough, but siblings separated at birth, perhaps! Thanks for finding it, Thomas, it may be one of my (former) few that I consider unique!

Thank you for the fun show, everyone!

Too lazy to do separate pictures so here is a group shot of some of my favorite one offs and low count ones that i have found. Thanks again Thomas for this post it made me start digging though my beads the last few days and I have been rediscovering my beads.
Wayne

I am lucky owner of 3 of those, I used them in a great little necklace along with small green Russian faceted beads! They were a gift from a forumite a few years ago, thank you again so very much!

Nice stuff there. I have not looked at my beads, with glasses on, for some years.

Here are a few twin-less singles from my pile.
One of them I sold, hmmm, haha!

I think I need a new camera. Great shots.

A very interesting small bead, thank you again.

Since I almost never get to buy mixed strands of beads, I have a few loners myself. I picked a few from my collection. Would love to see if there are familymembers of them around here ;)

Here two lovely little treasures of mine

One stunning wedding cake bead, I just love this kind of bead. This bead measures 3,6 cm's.

And another fancy bead I have found some round cousins of, but not yet an oval like this. This bead measures 3,6 cm's as well/

Hi Heleen,

Can you show the whole necklace? I think mine is simular and has a pair of gold foil beads.

Hendrik

Hi Hendrik,
Your necklace is stunning! I wish mine looked like that :)

The beads I posted, the two fancy ovals, are from different necklaces. The wedding cake bead I bought was and is strung on this strand of beads, probably not an original but a collection of some pairs and loose beads.
(Picture 1)

The other fancy, with aventurine and blue/white dots, is from the necklace on the second picture. The necklace also features some small amber-imitation beads (I believe), four black cube-rounded beads with aventurine and four small beads with chevron-murrines, these beads have a matte finish

... So if you have more info on it, I'd love to know :)

This bead measures 2,9 cm's.
I remember a group of similar chevrons with different colors once offered at the trade pages, too bad I was too late back then. Would love to own more of this type.

Luigi's website

http://www.muranobeads.com/

I would think in the 1930's to 1950's time frame. Does the outer layer purple have a mother of pearl sheen? Other Venetian collectors should also reply. Please help set the record straight. Nice chevron, and thanks for showing!

-Matt

It is indeed a Chevron from the 1970's, made by Constantini Compagny as it says on the site.
I also have the orange one that can be found at the same page.. ohh now I want all colours! I love them :)

and... tee hee... I recently bought some of his lengthwise laid cane chevrons.

Hey... I have a secret tip for you. Look for an email soon.

Well, my collection is smaller than a lot of yours so it is easier for me to have "singles" since just about anything except the most common beads on a mixed strand are unique to me. The first one I found on a mixed strand at Tucson this year. I know Thomas has a whole strand of these but I still think it is pretty cool. I wish I knew why these were made though! The second is a Roman bead that I got from Bassam may years ago.

OK, I don't know why the first image didn't post!?

Just trying to load that picture.

Here are two that while probably not too uncommon are unique for me. These are both on one strand along with a bunch of badly beat up black king beads. I suspect they added these so they could get rid of what would otherwise be a really crappy strand. The first is a "Lewis and Clark" bead while the second I have been told is an Islamic feather bead.

Shopping and hoping to find only one, solo, antique bead in Venice today: I have to try very hard to ignore the other tourists and imagine what it would have been like back in the day... the buildings, bridges and canals are exactly as they were one hundred years ago. —In this video, I feel that music in the background helps a bit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNK-dsoBxDA

Some of my favorite loners:
Art Seymour "flying eyeball" chevron
Blown bead that I acquired from Joyce on trade pages- Thanks Joyce!

4 layer faceted "russian blue" type sitting on Art Seymour kaleidoscope.

A shot of the view in scope- made with chevron chips for patterns. What fun.

Monster blue chevron 56mm X 42mm, and a "turret" chevron 31 X 28mm.

All great beads! I did not know about the kaleidoscopes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERD4CbBDNI0&feature=related