These are so rare that they only exist for a few hours and must be photographed immediately! Thank you for documenting these, Stefany!
Happy New Year!
:)
Were these created recently in east Java, unwittingly sold as authentic? And smuggled through customs...disguised as delicacies?
its chief areas of world production and export in the most recent statistical studies of the raw material show Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon as main sources...
But I should have given it the spoon test first....hmmmm...Even experts get confused.
But I can't tell from your other images.
I always use a spoon when I eat beads, too, though!
If I were cataloguing them-
1) Colour
Brown, metallic, opaque
2) Form
Various moulded shapes with large hole
3) Material description
Processed organic substance known locally as “Cadbury’s Dairy Milk”
4) Dimensions,
Varied -up to 30mm diameter
5) Holes
Approx 3-5 mm diameter
6) Condition
Uneven surface patina, sensitive to increases in temperature,
7) Date/age
indeterminate
8) Artist's name, Country of origin
Artists name available on application –great guest at my new year’s eve party, North London, UK
9) Technique
Moulded- See research quoted by Carola Schulman, Jan 2014 AD- {Beads-L:2376} Stefany's Mystery beads
Provenance:
10) country of trade/use
UK
11) found or threaded with...
These are prototypes or samples
12) Acquired by me from...
See (8)
13) documentation, references, museums with similar..
Topic discussed in depth by researchers on “Beads-L”
14) Rarity
I’ve never seen any others of this type so likely unique examples
15) Likely value when made
A day’s wages
16) perceived value now
At least £3.- = $5.- per piece -for insurance purposes at least...
17) resemblance, intentional or otherwise
Ancient terracotta, “soabstone” see Torben Sode {Beads-L:2376}, dark marzipan or quince cheese...
18) General significance
Bringing added obesity but reputed to save lives in extreme weather conditions.
19) Amuletic Meaning
Warding off bad luck for next 12 months
20) How worn, anecdotes
Said to make the wearer attractive ...
S.Tomalin -London, UK 2014
Dear Stefany,
I participated in your delectable bead I.D. quiz until I got silly. I am a bit laid up with back pain -and with nothing better to do.
Several years ago, I bought chocolate "rusted metal" tools which were selling at Selfridges as a gift for my father. They were even more convincing...a fun party gift.
Thank you for inviting me to the New Year's Eve party. Wish I could have been there to meet your bead friends. And, the view from your home...of fireworks over Big Ben must have been unforgettable when the famous clock struck twelve.
Sincerely, Just Fred
I didn't think of chocolate til I saw the wax paper and spoon. Then I thought, "chocolate....??!!" but was dissuaded when I saw all the scholarly replies. Finally got the joke. :^D
I'm curious about the molds used to make these. Do you have information on that?
And tell your friend she could make a small fortune selling those to members of this forum! :^D
I have been asked whether I have actually seen beads from Borobudur:
A few years ago, when I frequented Southeast Asia, I was able to encourage Dr. James Langton and Jamey Allen to join me on a trip to Bali and Java. We visited bead makers in east Java and the Borobudur World Heritage Site.
Thousands of beads are carved on hundreds of human sculptures at this colossal relic. Yet, in fact, I am not familiar with beads which came from Borobudur's Sailendra Dynasty, 778-842 AD.
Stefany's faceted bicones could be compared in size and shape with beads typically from Jember. Initially kidding about chocolate, we may have stumbled onto an important question: Are there any surviving beads which can be identified as Sailendra?
While this mysterious temple is an excellent example of one of the major sources of Indonesia"s cultural legacy, little history from this period is known -which was 300 years before Angkor Wat. However, we can be certain that Borobudur had a huge workforce of sculptors and artists.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borobudur