This is the short article for the Mystery Bead ID that will appear on The Bead Society Los Angeles website soon.

Little did I know what a challenge the long spindle shaped coiled brass wire beads pictured on the Bead Society website would become! The beads are mine as is the photo. I thought I knew these beads! Back in the “80’s or early’90’s, Jackie Little imported and sold these beads and I swear I thought she said they were from Nagaland. So far I have found nothing in my references that verifies that. The beads have a lot of lovely wear and patina on the wire coils. The bells strung with them could be Chin ornaments. I am stymied.

So, I posted the picture and my question (bead ID?) on Bead Collectors Network forum where the great bead lovers and scholars lurk and work. They did not let me down! The first response was from Rosanna who posted a picture of coiled brass wire beads from Zaire. She noted the similarity of these beads with my Mystery Beads. Lovely as they are, they are not the same. Wire shape and patina are different.

Then Hendrik posted a picture of beads he bought in Burma. He noted that people there use a lot of metal in their everyday jewelry. Bingo! This is it! But there is more.

Judy Harris and Janet Seward both suggested Mizoram as the origin for these beads. Mizoram is a remote region in the north and east part of India. And Judy consulted with our past president Adel Mabe who worked for Jackie and knows these beads are from Mizoram. Judy, who is an ace detective, found documentation for them with an illustration in A WORLD OF NECKLACES , Africa, Asia, Oceania, America by Anne Leurquin. The picture on page 245 shows them clearly. They are attributed to India, Mizoram, Orissa, worn by the Khond people.

So this has been a lot of fun for your faithful Mystery Bead instructor. Greatest thanks to all who helped solve this one!