Ancient Agate Barrel Beads with Fine Silver "Mulberry" Beads and Decorated Clasp

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Ancient Agate Barrel Beads with Fine Silver "Mulberry" Beads and Decorated Clasp

About the Item

Twenty-five ancient agate barrel beads alternating with twenty-four fine silver beads made of twenty-five granules. There are silver beading tips and a hook and eye clasp, also decorated with granules. The agate barrel beads are from three different periods, that can distinguished by the diameters of the drill holes. In general, the larger holes - 3 mm to 4 mm are the oldest from the Bronze Age, about 4,000 years ago. The middle period beads, about 2,000 years old, have drill holes around 2 mm in diameter. These correspond to the Kushan period of ancient India. The beads with drill holes smaller than these are from 1,000 years ago and into the Sassanian times, after 525 A. D. The following is a list of the agate beads starting from the top right in the first photograph. (The first and last beads of the necklace in the photograph are modern agate beads produced in Idar Oberstein. These beads have been moved to the inside of the beading tips and two ancient beads have replaced them in the necklace. These beads do not appear in the photograph but are described in the following notes): 1. A small bicone with an angled end of transparent quartz. There is whitening from burial in alkaline soil. Length: 9mm. Width (at center): 5mm. Width (at ends) 3.25 mm. diameter of hole: 2.2 mm 2. A sharply tapered bicone barrel with a slightly tan opaque white half and a clear quartz half with some milky surface whitening, as in the above. Length: 11.3mm. Width (at center): 6.5mm. Width (at ends): 2.5mm. diameter of hole: 1.7 mm. 3. A sharply tapered bicone barrel bead of light brown translucent quartz with a white curving band with darker internal lines following the edge contours. A corner, one third of the end is brown like the other end. Length: 10 mm. Width (at center): 7.5mm. Width (at ends) 3.0mm. diameter of hole: 2.2 mm. 4. A faceted gray bicone with four white lines at the center. One end is slightly brown. Length: 15.3mm. Width (at center): 7mm. Width (at ends): 2.5 mm. diameter of hole: 1.7 mm. 5. A faceted translucent brown and white agate bicone with fine white lines in the center section. One side of this section in the center is a darker brown color. Length 17 mm. Width (at center): 7.5mm. Width (at ends): 6.2mm. diameter of hole: 1.7 mm. 6. A brown and white agate bead of squat proportions and a large hole diameter from the earliest period. Length: 9mm. Width (at center): 5mm. Width (at ends) 3.25mm. diameter of hole: 2.2 mm. It has a clear quartz end, white banding, with a brownish gray translucent center zone. Length: 15mm. Width (at center): 8.5mm. Width (at ends) 6mm. diameter of hole: 3 mm. 7. A brown, gray and gray translucent quartz barrel bead. A grayish white band divides the bead at almost the midpoint. The grayish translucent area becomes brown again near the end which is gray quartz. Length: 22.5mm. Width (at center) 4.8mm. Width (at ends) 4.4mm. diameter of hole: 2mm. 8. An orange and white agate bead of squat proportions and a large hole diameter from the earliest period. There is some whitening from burial as in 1. and 2. above. Length: 21.1mm. Width (at center) 9.5mm. Width (at ends). 6mm. diameter of hole: 3 mm. 9. A tapered bicone of clear quartz with white banding. There are two wider white band and three narrower white bands. The bead is from the earliest period and has a crisp shape and is in perfect condition. Number fourteen in this necklace is an exact match to this bead having been made out of the same quartz with the exact same banding. Length: 24.5mm. Width (at center) 9.9mm. Width (at ends) 5.5mm. diameter of hole: 2.9 mm. 10. An orange and white and clear quartz agate barrel bead of squat proportions and a large hole diameter from the earliest period. Half of the bead is opaque white with very narrow orange bands. The other half is clear quartz with orange bands and some opaque white banding. The clear area turns slightly orange at the end. There are numerous small nicks around this end. There is some surface wear. Length: 29.5mm. Width (at center) 10.4mm. Width (at ends) 6.5mm. diameter of hole: 3.5 mm. 11. A sharply tapered bicone of yellowish translucent quarts with an opaque white layered band 11. around the center. This band separates to make a zone with a darker yellow translucent quarts band around an opaque white center. Beads with this profile, a fat middle and small ends, typically come from present day Afghanistan. It is probably from the middle period. Length: 22.5mm. Width (at center) 12.3mm. Width (at ends) 4mm. diameter of hole: 2.5 mm. 12. An orange tapered barrel bead with white banding that was originally clear quartz but has been whitened by burial. This is another bead from the earliest period, with crisp form and beautiful banding (similar to number 8) there is a small chip on one end, but otherwise, no wear. Length: 27.5 mm. Width (at center) 10mm. Width (at ends) 5.5mm. diameter of hole: 3 mm. 13. A large truncated biconical agate barrel bead of clear quartz and opaque brown with white banding in the brown area. The brown zone encircled by two narrow white lines and then a wider third white line lies on the bottom side of the bead. This is the result of the drill hole being a little off center so that the bead always hangs with this zone to the bottom. There are some conchoidal fractures in the surface, some end chips and end wear around the hole, especially along the top edge which has been worn to a high polish. This bead is probably from the same era as nos. 3. and 7. Length: 21mm. Width (at center) 19.5mm. Width (at ends) 10mm. diameter of hole: 2.5 mm. 14. A tapered agate barrel bead of slightly greenish yellow quartz with two white bands encircling it. Two darker bands are to the outside of these and then two more narrow white bands follow; the ends are transparent. (Compare with nos. 6. 8. 9. 10. & 12. from the earliest period). There is a stable internal fracture that extend inward from one end 4 mm. There is evidence that the surface was reground to remove staining from burial. Length: 27mm. Width (at center) 11.2mm. Width (at ends) 6mm. diameter of hole: 3.5 mm. 15. A pale translucent yellow agate barrel of plump proportion with an opaque white zone at the center encircled with four white narrow bands. It is also from the earliest period. Length: 23.2mm. Width (at center) 11.7mm. Width (at ends) 6mm. diameter of hole: 3 mm. 16. A bicone barrel bead of orange carnelian that has been whitened by burial (like no. 12, above). A chip on one end reveals a bright orange interior; the other half of the bead that has orange/white banding was probably clear quartz banding in orange carnelian. One end appears to have been worn down in ancient times making that side about 1mm short. There is no evidence of recent grinding. The bead is from the earliest period. Length: 22.5mm. Width (at center) 11mm. Width (at ends) 6.5mm. diameter of hole: 3.2mm. 17. This bead is the match to number 9. above. 18. A pale brown agate barrel bead with a darker tan center zone bounded by two white bands. There are two thin white bands at the ends of the bead. Length: 23mm. Width (at center) 10mm. Width (at ends): 5mm. diameter of hole: 2 mm. 19. A bead similar to no. 18 but the agate is more transparent. There is whitening from burial on one side. Curiously, this side is flattened slightly so the bead is out of round; the bead must have been resting on this flat side and in contact with an alkaline soil. Length: 20.5mm. Width (at center): 9.9mm - 9.78mm. Width (at ends) 5mm. diameter of hole: 2 mm. 20. An agate barrel bead with a rounded profile. There is a brown center zone that becomes transparent as it approaches the boundary of the opaque white ends. The plump rounded shape and small drill hole indicates late period. Length: 16.5mm. Width (at center) 9.3mm. Width (at ends) 4.8mm. diameter of hole: 1.7 mm. 21. A faceted agate bicone similar to no. 4 above. Length: 16.5mm. Width (at center) 8mm. Width (at ends) 3.5mm. diameter of hole: 1.7 mm. 22. A sharply tapered agate bicone bead (compare to no. 2.). Transparent quartz with a pale tan opaque band bordered with white bands, it has a chip at the hole. Middle period. Length: 15mm. Width (at center) 8mm. Width (at ends) 3mm. diameter of hole: 2.5 mm. 23. A pale brown agate bicone with an opaque white band in the middle, one side is transparent and one side is opaque. Similar to no. 23. Middle period. Length: 11mm. Width (at center) 7.5mm. Width (at ends) 3.5mm. diameter of hole: 2 mm. 24. A sharply tapered agate bicone bead; one third is transparent and the other is opaque white quartz with two transparent bands. Width (at ends) 3.5mm. diameter of hole: 2mm. 25. An early period bicone agate barrel with pale white banding in a transparent quartz. There is a chip at the hole. Length: 1.4mm. Width (at center) 5.5mm. Width (at ends) 4mm. diameter of hole: 2.9 mm. The fine silver clasp and beading tips are designed to lay flat on the neck. The beading tips are constructed of granules to match the silver beads in the necklace. The eye component rotates ninety degrees with a large eye to receive the hook element of the clasp. The hook is a flattened wire rolled up on the wide end and decorated with a row of silver grains. The necklace is 25 ½ inches (64.77 cm) in length. The necklace weighs 77.4 grams.

Creator:
David Ebbinghouse
Metal:
Silver
Stone:
Agate
Stone Cut:
Bead
Weight:
77.4 g
Dimensions:
Length: 25.51 in (647.7 mm)
Style:
Artist
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
15th Century and Earlier
Date of Manufacture:
Unknown
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. All of the stone beads in this piece are ancient. The silverwork is modern and was done by our expert gold/silversmith, Michael Winsten, to enhance the beauty of the ancient beads. See description for details on condition.
Seller Location:
Bloomington, IN
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2425214920482

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