Hi Judy,
What you have is a beautiful antique Venetian bead, decorated with sideways laid canes, then decorated on top of those with small pieces of cane. The overall effect, to my way of thinking, is a bead that is decorated with tiny beads. I have three like this one.

These are very collectible and not very common, although they seem to have cropped up more starting with Tucson of 2013.

Paul Johnson (waneeho on the forum) has a stunning strand of these showing a wide variety of variations on the basic theme. Maybe he can re-post or else I will try to find it in the archives.

NIce find!

Hi Rosanna and Judy
Sorry not to have responded earlier. I am having serious computer problems and am using a borrowed one to write this. I don't know if or when I might be able to find the photo, but the beads that Rosanna showed from her collection are very representative, and very much like the ones in my necklace. Judy, I'll try to remember to bring that necklace to the L.A. show on Sunday, so you can see it.
Paul

Beads from my collection.

and thanks for the great pictures. It was the tiny brown white and blue canes that threw me off, I've not seen them before. But now I see them in one of your beads. The more I learn, the more I understand how little I know. Fun isn't it?

People also call these longitudinally laid cane but sideways has fewer syllables.

Actually I think I should say sideways layed, not laid. Any grammarians out there?

...I've only ever had one which I've held on to for years, pictured here with two other favorites to keep it company. So way to go Judy! And Rosanna, thanks for posting the archived thread, I loved seeing these!

-Mel

The pic was of my beads. I haven't been able to locate Paul's picture, will try again tomorrow, or maybe he can chime in.

I'm a little late on this, but here are some longitudinally laid cane beads on the Sick Catalog sample card, date range 1910- 1913.