necklace #23.  This is a modern bead on an old bead strand.  The beads are Southeast Asian trade beads in a dark transparent green.  The silver beads are from the North of Thailand.  The central bead was made by a bead artist living in Toronto.  It is 1 1/8 inches long and the colour of pale honey.  Around the bead are tiny bees buzzing around.  It is an enchanting piece, about 28 inches long, with the large bead swirling around when you walk.  $145.US.   (sold)

   AM193.   This is a great necklace and very unusual.  It would be a beautiful gift.  The beads on the necklace are largely red white-hearts, Venetian beads that
were traded around the world, and popular among many people - as well as some sterling silver spacers.  The highlight of the necklace though is a Guatemalan figure cast from silver
- of a woman.  It is 3 1/2 inches long including pendant.  She is elegant with a graceful skirt, one hand held over her stomach and the other hand held outwards.  The Guatemalans
portray the good aspects of life, and this must be made out of admiration for the work of a woman.  The necklace is quite small, about 16 3/4 inches long, and sits closely to the neck.
That makes it look lovely.  $165.US.  (sold)

   EU063.   I am afraid that I don't have a history of this piece.  I am simply attracted to it.  I think it is a very romantic gift as well.
The sterling silver heart (chain is sterling as well) is 1 3/4 inches tall, and nicely plump.  It has a hinge at the back and opens from the front.  The top just slips over the bottom piece and holds shut from the pressure of the closing.  You couldn't carry anything too heavy here but it would be perfect for a locket of hair or a sweet note of love.  Maybe a little photograph.
The heart is strung together with two beads.  One is carved from bone and the other from a resin.  They hang very nicely from a tightly woven 22 inch long chain.  This piece is just a handful of years old but very nicely hand made, and like I said before - romantic.   $245.US.   (sold)

EU064.   This sterling silver piece is well over 100 years old, but not being familiar with religious imagery over the years, I can't place it too specifically in either time or place of manufacture.  The images have been hammered into the silver quite dramatically.  The side with Christ on it is a lid to the cross shaped box - - it reminds me very much of Byzantine pieces, but I think is a very old copy of early Byzantine work.  It is quite well worn and the original hanging loop is gone - a fresh twist of wire has been inserted instead.  The piece was used to carry something inside and there are still some deposits within it.  This is attractive, very old looking and fascinating.  The cross is 2 1/2 inches tall, 1 5/8 inches wide and a little over 1/4 inch thick.  It is just strung on satin cord at the moment.  $135.US.   (sold)

  AM155.   The 3 1/4 inch Yalalag cross from the mountains east of Oaxaca is famous all over Mexico.  These distinctive pieces are made in a town called San Yuan Yalalag.  They vary in size from tiny to enormous and are worn with jet, coral, seeds, or trade beads.  Sometimes strange little castings are added such as little birds or pomegranates but I haven't been luck to find any yet.  I have been told that these Yalalag crosses have existed sincthe 1500s as a tradition brought from parts of Spain.  This pendant sits on a 15 inch necklace of Venetian trade beads, typical of the style.   $125.US.   (sold)

  AM156.   The 6 inch tall Yalalag cross from the mountains east of Oaxaca is famous all over Mexico.  These distinctive pieces are made in a town called San Yuan Yalalag.  They vary in size from tiny to enormous and are worn with jet, coral, seeds, or trade beads.  Sometimes strange little castings are added such as little birds or pomegranates but I haven't been luck to find any yet.  I have been told that these Yalalag crosses have existed since the 1500s as a tradition brought from parts of Spain.  The pendant sits at the end of 22 inches of antique Venetian trade beads, typical of how they might have been worn.  The central bottom cross was lost once years ago and was replaced with a smaller, sweeter one.  $150.US.   (sold)

  EA438.   This ready to wear necklace has a centerpiece of an Islamic carved clear quartz seal.  I have been told that it dates somewhere between 1715 and 1891.  The small rectangular seal is mounted in a 20th century silver pendant. I have strung it onto a sterling silver woven neck ring that measures 5 inches in diameter.  Shiny and new right now, the deeper parts of the wire weave will darken and patinate over time. There is a diagonal scratch on the surface of the crystal stone that is visible on the scan. It is not a distraction as the piece has a powerful overall charm.  Seal approx. 3/4" x 5/8", pendant including suspension loop 1" x 11/16", depth over 3/16".  A lovely gift.  $135.US.   (sold)

CH070.  For a full description of this 19th century Chinese court necklace, please see page:   http://www.oldbeads.com/China.html
necklace #18.   These Persian & Roman carnelians are much brighter than they appear in the scan - they are quite orange and have a lovely blush of age on them.  A few are quite clouded as a result of long burial.  The strand itself is 15 1/2 inches long plus the pendant and finished with modern sterling silver beads and clasp.  The quartz pendant has diagonal stripes etched into it and measures a little over 1/2 inch across.  This is a really charming necklace with beads dating from the 1st millenium BC to 2AD.  $165.US.   (sold)

necklace #19.   Ancient Roman to Early Islamic Near East coral is a real treasure to find, and mixed with small stone beads, they make an alluring combination.  This scan is much paler (I'm sorry) than the beads really are.  The general cast of the necklace is quite a warm peach colour with an ultra hot touch of glass and coral here and there.  This is an eclectic looking and a very "one of a kind" necklace.  15 inches long plus pendant beads.  $115.US.   (sold)

necklace #20.   This 1 5/8 inch long Byzantine bronze strap end is decorated with a dot & circle motif and originated from the Lower Danube.  It seems to be a natural as a pendant - it is delicately etched and very graceful, and obviously ancient.  The piece is mounted with modern facet garnets (brighter than the scan shows) and 20th century Venetian beads.  The necklace itself is 17 inches long, not calculating in the pendant...   $85.US.   (sold)

necklace #21.  This Byzantine bronze pendant has a reverse "S" design applied with a contrasting metal - most likely silver.   It is strung with modern facet rainbow moonstones interspersed with facet silver beads.  This necklace is light and lively with lots of sparkle from the moonstones, yet containing the mysteries of the pendant.  17 inches of beads with a 1 1/4 inch long pendant (including hanging loop).  The clasp is modern sterling silver.  These are all one of a kind pieces and certainly treasures.   $135.US.   (sold)

  necklace #22.  Late period, 525-332 B.C. Egypt - ancient "eye of Horus" amulet.  $195.US.   (sold)

AM117.   If you saw the new movie "Frida" about the life of Frida Kahlo (if you are interested in another perspective on her life, a non-Hollywood  film was made in the early 80s by Paul Leduc in Spanish) you will have noticed her love of heavy, dramatic stone necklaces from pre-Columbian Mexico.  She was an advocate of the deep rich culture of Mexico and showed it off beautifully.  This collection of pre-Columbian beads echoes the pieces that she wore herself.  It is a mix of carnelian beads from the Tairona of Colombia, and greenstone beads from the west Mexico state of Guerrero.  You can do further reading in "Collectible Beads".   Measuring just under 16 inches in length this
necklace sits around the base of the neck.  Because of the weight of the stones, a short necklace is much more comfortable to wear than a long one as the weight distributes itself much better.  The largest carnelian bead is a whopping 1 1/2 inches by just under 5/8 inch.  The necklace weighs about 5 ounces and would be a great and extravagant gift for someone who has a fondness for Frida's art and the intriguing and inspiring story of her life.  $550.US.  (sold)

necklace #15.   This lovely and delicate antique piece is from the mid East.  Constructed of silver, it has a light and airy look to it encouraged by the complex chain that the amulets are suspended on.  The central pendant/amulet is grey banded agate enclosed in a silver case.  It has two small 3 dimensional pendants swinging below.  The stone itself measures 5/8 inch by 1 inch and the necklace is 25 1/2 inches long.  There are two simple silver amulets attached as well as two wood pendants hung with silver stars.    $110.US.

necklace #16.   The central silver pendant on this necklace is Moorish - from the area along the border of Mauritania and Morocco.  It is a very charming amulet, meant to protect the wearer while providing intriguing ornamentation at the same time.  A very similar piece is illustrated on page 219 of Africa Adorned.  This piece is strung with triple stranded, typical, red whiteheart antique Venetian trade beads interspersed with silver for little glints of light.  15 1/2 inches long.   $110.US.   (sold)

necklace #17.   The centerpiece of this necklace is a rather impressive Tuareg amulet or tcherot made entirely of silver.  (metals such as copper and brass are often mixed in)   The amulet is wider than it is tall, measuring 2 3/4 by 2 1/4 inches.  It most likely contains a piece of paper on which is written verses from the Koran or other protective writing.  (see pages 208 & 209 of Africa Adorned) The beads are a collection of antique Venetian whitehearts, Venetian spotted beads, and Bohemian round red glass ones.  The spacers are Ethiopian.  The entire necklace is 16 1/2 inches long.   $135.US.   (sold)

necklace #4.   An unusual ancient Celtic weight, shaped rather like a bagel, is encircled with topaz stones, which are separated by modern brass spacers.  This is a one of a kind piece which, at 16 1/2 inches sits gently around the base of the neck.  The colours of the topaz vary in lightness, and the weight itself has a rich, pitted, and aged look to it.   $115.US   (sold)

necklace #5.   This hefty pendant is a sterling silver refugio amulet - a souvenir of a pilgrimage made in Mexico - c.1780ad.  The piece is 1 1/8 inches across, and 1 1/4 inches tall excluding the hanging loop.  It is strung modestly on a strand of antique red whiteheart trade beads, interspersed with silver.  The pendant is lightly worn where the pilgrim would have touched it for good luck.  $245.US (sold)

necklace #7.   I rarely have such dramatic  pieces to sell from Thailand so I was amazed to find this very special pendant.  Carved from greenstone, it was at one time probably much more symmetrical in shape.  The pendant is very thin though, less than a quarter of an inch at the thickest part with edges that are almost blade like, so it has suffered damage over the centuries.  Any old wounds have been worn smooth by time though, and it is amazing that it is intact at all.  The pendant measures 3 3/8 inches at its widest, and is 2 1/4 inches high.  There are two stringing holes, one directly above the other.  I have strung the pendant up with antique Asian made red whiteheart tubular glass beads, and have hung a small stone pendant from the bottom, but these are simply my additions to this ancient piece and you may want to restring it in your own way.  I simply used materials that were also brought out of Thailand.   $220.US  (sold)

necklace #8.   This is a diverse collection of ancient beads, most of which are about a thousand years old, give or take a couple of centuries.  I didn't have enough beads to finish a necklace length alone, so I have used solid sterling silver spacers to extend the necklace to 15 inches which should sit nicely around the base of the neck.  I am hoping to redo the scan as you can't see the colours of the stone beads.  For instance, the center bead is an attractive dark amethyst (slightly over 1/2 inch in diameter).  There is a good variety of both glass and stone represented here, created with various techniques, and they are fascinating simply to hold and browse through.  $255.US

necklace #10.   Afrter the Russian Revolution, the depiction of Christ or religious figures in general was forbidden.  This pre-Revolutionary cast bronze icon/pendant had a portrait of Christ's head on the small square on top, but it is very worn.  Below is a scene which includes Christ as the central fingure.  There are also words written on the piece which are so worn they are difficult to read.  The Russian gentleman who I asked for advice thought that the first word written was the Russian equivalent of "peace".  I don't know for sure though.  The main part of the pendant is 2 1/8 by 2 inches.  This is strung on amethyst beads from India, which are interspersed with some hand made bronze beads from Africa.  Very impressive in size and stature.    $250.US

necklace #12   This impeccable and unusual necklace is composed of rare, excavated, Western Zhou (c. 1077 - 771 BC) ancient Chinese glass and faience (the two central blue beads).  They originated in the period when glass production was invented in China, preceding by centuries the "Warring States" period when the famous horned eye beads were produced, making these beads about 3,000 years old - a heart stopping age.  These beads are a sublime range of teals and soft turquoise.  Alternating, are drawn tubes, and wound beads.  The very unusual bicone beads seem to have been formed by using two cone shaped molds to shape each wound blob of molten glass into a graceful form.  The necklace measures 16 inches in length and has a modern sterling silver clasp.  These beads belong in a collection where they will be treasured, well cared for, and worn with respect.  For some Western Zhou history from two very different sources check here: Western Zhou History  or here:  Chinese History: Western Zhou.  Similar beads are included in item EA333 the "China" page.   $550.US.  (sold)

necklace #13.   This is a really amazing and very unusual piece.  Rock crystal beads are separated by gold plated facet beads (over sterling silver) and finished with a solid 18k gold clasp on this necklace.  These are ancient Islamic beads from the area of Persia and Afghanistan, and the really wonderful thing about them is the secret that they carry.  Three of the polished crystal beads have fine engraving on them which are snatches of phrases from the holy book, the Koran.  The 17 inches of beads are full of ambient light they catch, and full of internal bits and pieces to make them interesting, and unless you look at them very closely, you wouldn't know at all that they also have Arabic script on the surface of the magical three.  Right now, this is one of my favourite pieces.  $255.US.  (sold)

necklace #14.   This 16 1/2 inch long necklace is a partner to #13.  Actually the colour of #13 is more true to life as these crystal beads all have a smoky cast to them.  This necklace is slightly wonkier than the other with some very independant and evocative beads strung on slight angles so that they don't line up in straight lines.  I like the look.  There is just one engraved Koranic bead on this necklace and an enlarged scan is shown -- it is a mysterious and charming thing, and a secret to be borne by the wearer.  The clasp is gold plated silver, as are the spacer beads.  $205.US.   (sold)

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return to "Contents" page
    .....Ancient beads
    .....Eastern beads and ornaments
    .....Southeast Asia
    .....Africa
    .....African trade beads
    .....North Africa
    .....the Americas including preColumbian
    .....Europe
    .....Modern copies of ancient objects
    .....Odds and ends