Ancient Lapis Lazuli Beads, White Milky Quartz Crystal Barrel Bead, Fine Silver

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Ancient Lapis Lazuli Beads, White Milky Quartz Crystal Barrel Bead, Fine Silver

About the Item

Ninety lapis lazuli beads, with a white milky quartz barrel shaped bead at the center. The center bead is faced with two silver beads made of two layers of six grains in a hexagonal pattern. There are ten more of these beads evenly spaced throughout the strand. These twelve beads are made in two sizes in order to accommodate the graduation in size of the lapis beads towards the back of the necklace. The center bead is 3.25 cm in length, 1.4 cm in width at the center and 7 mm in width at the ends. The drill hole diameter is 3 mm. The lapis lazuli beads are 7.5 mm in diameter at the center and decrease in size to the back to 4 mm in diameter. The center bead appears at first to be a bead from Bronze Age central Asia and indeed it has the proper size and shape. Even the 3 mm drill hole diameter supports this conclusion. But there are subtle clues that betray this attribution. Actually, the bead comes from the west Sahara and was brought by Arab traders to Africa sometime after the twelfth century. Probably made in India, these beads very closely copied Bronze Age beads from Afghanistan and northern Iran. They first surfaced in Mali in the 1980's and since then more examples have been seen. This bead industry has never been identified and studied and to my knowledge there is no literature on the subject. But we have personally studied beads coming from Mauritania and Mali and have deduced the probable history of these beads based on comparisons with Bronze Age beads. This is a topic that some future researcher can delve into to and it will make a fascinating addition to the history of stone bead manufacture and trade in ancient times. The lapis lazuli beads are from the Swat valley in Pakistan. They are around two thousand years old and are part of the long history of the trade in lapis lazuli. The granulated ring beads and hook and eye clasp are Fine silver and have been custom made for the necklace. The necklace is 16 ½ inches (41.7 cm) in length. The necklace weighs 41 grams.

Creator:
David Ebbinghouse
Metal:
Silver
Stone:
Crystal,Lapis Lazuli,Quartz
Stone Cut:
Bead
Weight:
41 g
Dimensions:
Length: 16.42 in (417 mm)
Style:
Artist
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
15th Century and Earlier
Date of Manufacture:
Unknown
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. The stone beads used in this piece are all ancient. The silverwork is modern and was done by our expert gold/silversmith, Michael Winsten, to enhance the beauty of the ancient beads.
Seller Location:
Bloomington, IN
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2425216419902