Collectible Beads​

Collectible beads have for thousands of years, been a fascination for man.
Traded, worn as amulets and as status symbols, beads adorn masks, costumes and objects.
Possessing a monetary value and traded as currency, collectible beads are unique and precious.
Prior to the advent of glass bead making, beads were made from materials found in nature, such as shell, seed pods, bone, clay, wood and stone.
Over the centuries, beads have changed hands and continents and quickly became valued as collectible beads.
To this day these special beads continue their journey.
Semi precious stones such as carnelian, amazonite, rock crystal, agate were soon added to existing materials and shaped into beads.
The first glass beads were produced some 3500 years ago in the Middle East.
Glass bead making production continued into the Islamic and Roman periods. During this period, some of the most complex glass making techniques were developed and some highly collectible beads were produced.
They include glass eye beads, mosaic glass beads, trailed glass beads, cane insert beads and millefiori glass beads, to name a few bead types.
In the 15th century, the first glass beads produced in Venice, arrived in Africa via the trans-Saharan trade routes.
With the arrival of Venetian glass beads, African women strung beads into necklaces and adorned their hair with beads as well.Beads were also used to embellish textiles and ceremonial attire.
It is perhaps at this point in history that the notion of collectible beads was born.
Beads are objects of mysterious beauty and desire.
These unique and distinct small objects have over centuries been admired, appreciated and valued and to the present day, beads continue to awaken and captivate the senses.