Measurements: 37mm long x 12~14mm wide with a 2~3~4mm threading hole (the holes in these beads seem to be smaller at one end - to be safe, use nothing thicker than a 2mm cord). 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).
Origin: Hand Made in India - We believe this bead to be a reproduction of a Trade Bead.
Colour: The patterning swirls around the beads, but each bead is really different to the next. You can see the joins where some of the glass meets! The canes used have so many colours - I can see red, yellow, white, orange, lots of brown, black and blue - pretty much every colour under the sun! Some of the glass is transparent, while the other colours are opaque. There are red stars (or flowers?) on them, with streaks and lines, and when you gaze inside the glass, you can see incredible swirls and blobs. It's mesmerising! A lot of these beads have large brown areas with black spots surrounded in a little bit of white - sometimes looks like a dog's paw, sometimes looks like a flower.
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 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. Use as a feature bead or beads on a necklace, or one at the front of a bracelet. 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.
