Measurements: 20mm with a 3~6mm threading hole (many of the beads have a larger hole at one end, so you should be safe if you use cord no thicker than 3mm). Indian manufactured beads can be a bit inconsistent in size, so measurements are approximate.
Quantity per pack: 5 beads - chosen at random (beads may vary from the photos as each bead is individual - photo is a guide only).
Colours: Mostly transparent mustard with opaque yellow and opaque white patterning - with what looks like a yellow dot with white lines radiating out from the dot, kind of like a sun's rays. There are some larger blobs of opaque yellow underneath.
Origin: Hand Made in India - We believe this bead to be a reproduction of a Trade Bead.
Method: "Furnace winding. A low-domed clay furnace under a tin roof open at the sides accommodates a dozen workers squatting in front of individual ports Wood is fed below ground, with a floor in the furnace (open at the centre) holding the glass away from direct flames. The worker builds a bead by rolling a bit of glass onto an iron rod (mandrel or pontil). He withdraws it from the furnace and may choose to leave it round or shape it on a flat plate or with a small steel scoop. Simple beads are knocked off the rod (which, being of iron, contracts faster than the glass) into a small clay pot kept just outside the protective door of his port. The beads cool slowly in the pot (anneal), preventing internal stresses from cracking them............Furnace-wound beads have black iron oxide hole deposits." This is an excerpt taken from - The World of Beads Monograph 7 - The Glass Beads of India - Peter Francis Jr.
These beads! I could gaze at them for hours! These could be used for multiple crafty ideas including decorating your own table cloth weights because they are quite a large bead. Or incorporate one or two into an eclectic necklace strand. Or just keep them as treasures in your stash! You might even like to put them out in a bowl for a talking point in your home.
Bead Shack made a huge bead haul around 2007, and these beads were quite old before that. The man we purchased them from used to collect large hauls of beads that became available, so who knows how long ago they were made! Our best guess would be around 1980s.
