Floral beads like these are always so mysterious with their flowers, leaves &/or dots kind of 'floating' within the clear transparent glass. These flowers etc are made by dotting glass and then drawing a tool through the blob of glass to make the design. I think it might take a 'master' of beadmaking to make these all look the same!
The ribbons of Aventurine are hand applied, making every bead an individual work of art!
Aventurine (goldstone) was invented in the late 18th century and beads with this decoration appeared early 18th century, but mass production of the special glass didn't start until around 1875. The decoration on these Lampwork beads was by using canes of Aventurine to add to the outside of the original bead. This style of bead originally came from Venetian glass makers, later taken on by the Indian glass making trade. Glass bead making was introduced in India around 1960. They are replications of Trade Beads. Our lampwork beads come from India, and are old (but new) stock - we believe they are made not long after India began to manufacture Venetian glass replica trade beads, possibly around 1980.
We love to use these beads in a classic design on earrings, using a bead cap either side of the bead (which helps it stay on the headpin and sometimes they have a larger hole), then a matching, or contrasting, bead on the top. Follow this design to make a matching necklace!
Lace makers worldwide use beads like these to weight their wooden bobbins, as well as to make their sets of bobbins pretty. It's kind of a lace maker addiction! If you know a lace maker, these would make a wonderful gift to add to their stash.
Quantity per pack: 10
Measurements: please refer to the photo with the ruler for sizing. We have so many of these lampwork beads to list, so this is the quickest way to get this done. Should you require exact dimensions, please email us. Sizes of beads may vary slightly as they are handmade.
Origin: Made in India around 1980s. These beads came to us through our rather infamous 'bead haul' when we emptied a retired bead dealers warehouse many years ago. The beads are new, never been used, just stored for a long time. All the beads are checked for quality before shipping.
