Necklace of a Rare Venetian Green Fancy Bead, Small Green Chevrons, and Rare Bida Glass Beads from Nigeria M00663
This one-of-a-kind 20" long necklace is made of yellow Venetian "King" African Trade glass beads and rare Bida glass beads from Nigeria.
The largest green focal bead about 33x16mm. It is a rare Venetian "Fancy" bead. This bead is featured in the can be found in the Stephen A Frost Trade Bead Collection at the Illinois State Museum. See Bead 337 in the Eye nd Ambassador Bead Plate (last photo).
The small green chevrons range from 11x7 to 6x5mm and are mostly 4-layer, with a couple of 5-layer beads.
The dark honey color glass beads are about 12.5x8.5mm and appear to be from Bida, Nigeria. They are rather rare as these beads have been out of production since roughly 1950s. According to Liu (Collectible Beads, p 24), Francis (Beads of the World, p107), and others, Bida beads were the product of the unique hot glass bead industry in Africa. These were crude, dark, mandrel-wound, sparsely decorated beads, sometimes with white stripes. According to Peter Francis (Beads of the World) occasionally Bida beads were also made of melted recycled glass which produced a few more colors.
Please note that the beads are old and have traveled from afar. There are some nicks and chips and shape irregularities are expected, although the beads are generally in excellent condition for the age.
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