Latin American Beads Rare and Collectible Beads from Piney Hollow

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.

Index/Home	Africa	North America	Latin America	Europe/Asia	Gallery

	Rare and Collectible Beads This web site presents the 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) bead work = 5 x 5 inches Go to the Gallery page to see the full image and learn more about bead art.

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION
TO LATIN AMERICAN BEADS:
Their History and Manufacture

Note: Not all described/pictured beads are available.

"LATIN" AMERICAN BEADS

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.

Pre-Columbian beads found in Mexico:

Pre-Columbian Jadeite:

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.

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.

Visit us during the
Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

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

END

Index/Home	Africa	North America	Latin America	Europe/Asia	Gallery