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Antique Exotic Sand Cast Trade Bead Necklace

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:50.00 USD Estimated At:100.00 - 200.00 USD
Antique Exotic Sand Cast Trade Bead Necklace
For your consideration is this antique exotic sand cast trade bead necklace. Sand cast beads aren't often seen in strong solid colors, given the method used to make them from recycled scrap glass. The technique for creating this style of bead started in Ghana during the 16th century. Very fine pieces of crushed glass are held together with a binding material, such as saliva or gum Arabic, and spread over a grass stem or a bottle glass core. After cooking in the oven, the beads are rolled in other small pieces of glass to create patterns or left plain. The beads show a base color of light brown, with colors of light blue, blue, red and green throughout the beads. The beads all show different shapes and sizes and are set on a raffia necklace. The smallest bead measures 5/16" L x 3/8" W, while the largest measures 3/4" L x 3/8" W. The necklace measures 13 1/8" L.