Featured Bohemian Garnet Bracelet and Others

I don't think they are old, and may not be glass.

The Chinese have also been making trade beads for centuries, including millefiore.

 

If the green and white beads are genuine trade beads, they were most likely made in Venice and then traded in Africa for goods or slaves. In my experience, they're usually called "Africa trade beads" and I believe that most that are sold today are circa 1900. You can search eBay for an idea of prices... I think your necklace, if genuine, would sell for at least $100, but I haven't checked prices in a while.

I'm still suspicious that they're not the real deal, though.

 

Ah, we agree about their not being old.

The reason I think a lot of the stuff being sold today, at least on eBay, is fake is that they look too perfect, without chips or air bubbles. Also the colors usually look too fresh and modern to my eye. But although I've bought and sold quite a few genuine African trde beads, I'm not an expert and could be wrong.

 

When I say "fake" I mean if the beads are sold as being old but actually aren't. Ditto on whether or not they've actually been used for trade purposes.

 

Are those garnets in the banded ring? What size is it?

 

I thought that if the back is open behind stones, they're more likely to be real? Or is that a myth?

 

Does your camera have a very high resolution setting? I find that helpful to see an extreme blow up... though the file might be too big to post in the forum without reducing it.

 

I used to think the same about the open backs, PatP, but noticed newer jewelry - even diamonds are being enclosed in settings. Not sure when that began, I don't get it, but so be it..

 

These look like they have a good bit of age to them. They have small imperfections, like air holes. Here are some better pic. I wish I had my camera; my phone takes terrible images.

 

Interesting... it's been a long time since I've shopped for new jewelry.

What about older pieces... does the back being open have any significance?

 

I'm not sure. They might just be glass. They're prong-set though, so I figured I'd take a risk and buy it. Don't have a ring measurer with me.

 

It could be they're real but a type I'm not familiar with. They look to me like possibly they were painted rather than being millefiori? It's hard to tell looking at the photos.

There used to be reference sites online for trade beads, but I don't have any bookmarked.

 

Perhaps a jewelry store worker can measure it for you and can tell you if these are garnets. Glass scratches easily, so I look for lack of scratches. Garnet isn't the hardest stone, but it doesn't scratch as easily as glass. I'd have bought them all too!

 

Pat, I have nice old Edwardian paste jools with open backs - I think it's a bit of a myth. And in fact.... here's one I bought today!

 

I'm not sure, but I don't think they're painted on. On one of the beads, the white area has kind of crumbled, but it shows that the differently colored areas have some depth to them and are not just surface level.

 

Pretty!

 

Yeah, it was a bit of a jool day today.

 

Does not look painted on to me. Do they click like glass on your front teeth?

 

Yeah. They don't feel like ceramic to me.

 

Love the blue!

Thanks for the info... good to know.