from Piney Hollow |
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 PINEY HOLLOW 427 North 4th Avenue Tucson, Arizona 85705 USA 520 623-4450 piney-hollow.com |
TECHNICAL NOTE: To enjoy the colors of our catalog as they were created, click here for a simple Monitor Adjustment. 
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This web site presents the fascinating history and lore of collectible
beads from around the world and features a sampling of beads from Piney
Hollow's bead museum and retail store catalog. The beads are
categorized according to the regions and cultures in which they
were traded or produced. |
The Diggers (detail) original work
= 5 x 5 inches. |
Cro Magnon and modern humans were not the first to adorn themselves with ornamentation. Those distant limb sitters on the tree of evolution, the Neanderthal, carved animal teeth and bones then grooved and wrapped them to hang from a sinew cord. This was around 38,000 bc. The first Cro Magnon decoration was 7,000 years later. It too was grooved for hanging. Holes drilled into beads for stringing didn't appear for another 3,000 years.
Going back to these periods, beads have been found in Russia, The Czech Republic, India, China, Korea, Africa, Iraq, Iran, Australia, North America, South America, France Spain, Italy, Libya and many other places. They were used for hunting power, spiritual meaning, beauty, wealth, personal identity and protection.
Eye beads, made with circles or eyes for protection, are found among
every culture that has worn beads.
Bead content, design and style signals a person's individuality. Bead design signifies a pattern of the culture of its origin. Beaded items and the way colors and patterns have been set are evidence of conceptual thinking that can be dated back to at least 31,000 bc.
Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan was in Egyptian jewelry by 3,000 bc indicating the existence of prehistoric trade routes. Glass beads were found on the jewelry of Tutankhamen dating to 1,362 bc.
Phoenician sailors carried glass beads throughout their explorations and trading areas.
Roman glass beads were primarily made in the colony of Rumania just before and shortly after the time of Christ and traded most particularly in North and West Africa.
The Venetian empire was largely built on the bead trade. It resulted in an illustrious industry for the Venetian island of Murano.
During the expansionist period of the Dutch empire, Dutch aritisans developed a bead making commerce, with attempts to compete against the Venetians. A Dutchman, beginning the industry now famous throughout the world, transported equipment and knowledge to the Sudetanland (Czech Republic).
One type of "African" bead is the "chevron" bead. A modern chevron
bead is pictured here.
Chevron and certain other glass beads are generally called "African"
beads because they were used there as currency in trade. They were
(and still are) produced in Venice, as early as the 16th century.
They were part of the Venetian trade throughout the Mediterranean,
Europe and beyond. They became very popular in Africa and both North
and South America.
"Feather" beads are highly favored for their delicate appearance.
They were made in Venice and were very popular with African tribal
cultures during colonial times, when they were used for currency.
When African countries became independent of colonial governments,
they went to a cash economy and these beads were dumped on the
market. They were also traded by native Americans in North and South
America in the mid-1800s. Feather beads now come to the US through
African traders from Gambia and Mali, but they are becoming rare
because many African countrys have trade embargos on them.
"Milifiore" beads ("thousand flowers".....pronounced in English as
'mili-fee-ori') are of Venitian origin and were extensively traded
into west Africa. Demand was high for them in the mid-1800s. They
are still made, but modern beads are more refined and of less
interest to collectors.
The blue "Nueva Cadiz" style bead (42mm in length) is pictured with
Peruvian pre- Columbian shell beads, were brought to the New World
from Spain in the period beginning with Columbus and ending around
1560. This bead is part of a strand [link to strand on SA page] that
may have been brought to the new world during the reign of Pizaro.
The beads are named "Nueva Cadiz" because they were stored on Nueva
Cadiz Island.
Ecuadorian "Spindle" beads were used to spin cotton and Llama hair,
these carved beads can be dated from 1,500bce to 1,500ad. Made by
two different tribal groups, the designs are either geometric or
fanciful fauna.
This "Lewis and Clark" bead illustrates a style carried by Lewis and
Clark for trade on their expedition to the Pacific Northwest. These
glass beads were made in Venice from the earliest years of the
1800's and have also been traded in West Africa. Africans
refer to them as "Lewis and Clarks".
"Russian Blues" were traded in the Pacific Northwest. Their name
derives from the fact that they were transshipped across Russia into
China and then across the Pacific to be utilized as a trade item with
the Native American population.
"Eye"Beads depicting eyes have been made for thousands of years and have been used in various cultures. They all have basically the same meaning.
The "Thousand Eye" or "Evil Eye" beads shown here (diameter = 10mm)
and have been a staple trade item since the middle of the 1800's.
The "eye" bead is a world-wide design and is worn to ward off evil.
Psychologists theorize that the "function" of these beads derives
from the common human characteristic of being unable to lie or do
harm to others while looking them in the eye. These (Venetian) beads
are common and are on the lower ring of collectibles.
Roman Eye: Made in the Rumanian colony before and
during the time of Christ, the eyes are a design feature to ward off
evil. Today, these beads are found mostly in ancient middens.
Indus River:
MORE ABOUT FUSED GLASS BEADS:
Fused glass beads were were popular in certain earlier cultures for
trading. They were both colorful and durable, as is demonstrated by
their good condition after four centuries. Their value was determined
by the number of layers of glass they contained. You can count 5
layers in the chevron bead pictured below (each color is a different
layer). The processes for manufacturing the glass beads are
interesting. Following is a brief explanation of how chevron and
milifiore beads are made.
Chevron beads have been made from the 1500's to present day in Venice. Glass rods are bundled together to make a design. The bundle is then heated until the rods fuse. While still soft, these bundles can be drawn or stretched out, making the rod diameter smaller to meet the size required for the design. After cooling, the single rod is cut to length and ground down to make the combinations of colors show up at the ends of the beads in the familiar star patterns.
Milifiore beads, including those that were used in African Trade, are produced by fusing thin glass rods togther to form intricate designs. After fusion, the rods are broken away to leave small flower-like patterns. A core of glass is then formed and, when very soft, it is rolled over the small flower pieces. Then, the entire bead is again heated to absorb the flowers into the finished bead.
As soon as fused glass bead making techniques were discovered, Venice enacted harsh laws to protect the secret process. Other trading countries were eager to learn how to make them and there were 16th century equivelents of commercial spy organizations to enhance competition.
If you plan to attend the 2002 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show,
be sure to visit our retail store on 4th Avenue.
We are near the downtown area and other gem show sites.
PINEY HOLLOW
427 North 4th Avenue
Tucson, Arizona 85705 USA
520 623-4450
E-mail us at:
pineyho@aol.com
Use this link to inquire about
Collectible Beads from Piney Hollow.
Visit our Tucson retail store's web site:
http://piney-hollow.com
Web design by Anubis Productions International.
anubis@azstarnet.com
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