There is a strand of very similar spiral beads, although not quite as large, on the Picard site. See link. Described as from Zaire, Mid-1800s - early 1900s.

Hi Joan,

I got necklaces with the same beads from the Chin people of Myanmar. They also had belts made out of bells and metal rings. They used quite some metal in their adornment.

Hendrik

who live in Mizoram in the state of Orissa. There is a picture on page 245 in the book The World of Necklaces by Anne Leurquin.
Judy

I was wondering if I had won a price.
Do you have the book that you mention and is it possible to sent a copy of what is written about it? Mizoram borders to the Chin area and we know that beads do travel. Meanwile I try to dig up some information from my storage.

Thanks again,
Hendrik

the picture shows both types of brass beads that are in Joan's picture. The text says:- India, Mizoram, Orissa (Khond) "As well as glass beads, Mizoram women are fond of necklaces made of spiralled brass wire, which they wear as everyday jewellery." not a lot of text but the picture speaks volumes.
all the best, Judy

Thank you Hendrik, you have the right stuff! These are the same. And thanks to you Rosanna I I haven't seen these coiled brass beads from Zaire. I am sure these beads from Jackie were from Asia.

Probably originated in Nigeria. Again I used my copy "Afrian Beads - Jewels of a Continent" by Evelyn Simak and Carl Dreibelbis, because I recognized this type of beads. Page 119 shows a very good picture of these beautiful wound copper beads.

Nel

it's a shame because once something is in print it becomes a 'fact'.

I don't have "Jewels of a Continent" at hand, but it is possible that the ones featured there were found in Nigeria. The Picard site image linked by Rosanna above
http://www.picardbeads.com/trade_beads/ni3.html
shows beads sourced in Zaire similar to the Khond ones Joan and Hendrik show. But they are different. The Khond (used by the Chin) examples are more refined, and more graceful and tapered at the ends. I have seen both versions, they are quite different, yet similar!

Here is another example. This bead is from the Kabra people in northern Kenya.
It is used as a hair ornament (see Afrika Adorned by Angela Fisher, page 36)

Hi All,

I'm certainly no expert, but one thing I did learn at Jackie's knee, was that these particular beads that Joan has shared are from Mizoram. I believe they are meant to mimic the long tapered shell beads worn by the Mizo's close neighbors, the Nagas. When she first started buying this type of bead, they were described to her as being Naga....probably because the dealer thought she had never heard of Mizoram, which at the time she hadn't. As the years went on she learned more and more, and I was fortunate to absorb a tiny bit of her knowledge. I will say, that she continued to learn, and more importantly, keep an open mind till the very end.

I'm guessing that a metal bead, coiled such as these, are a pretty universal/archetypal (sp?) ornament, so some of the following pictures may well be of African beads... so interesting to see and read about beads; I swear I learn something new every time I open BCN!

My posting was based on research and discussion with a knowledgeable person. I bought some beads like this a few years ago and at that time did extensive research to identify them. When Joan posted her beads for identification, they were very familiar to me. Wanting to be accurate in my posting, I spent a few hours searching again through my books for reference and discussed the beads in several conversations back and forth with Adel Boehm-Mabe respected ex president of the Los Angeles Bead Society. Adel lived in Nepal for two years studying and experiencing the culture. She is very familiar with the beads and jewelry from the North Indian regions. After satisfying myself that the I could accurately identify Joan's beads, I posted the conclusions that Adel and I came to. The beads pictured in the book African Beads, Jewels of a Continent, are the same as Joan's beads and are the same as the beads identified in the book World of Necklaces. They are not the same type of bead shown by John Picard as being from the Congo. I can say with confidence that the beads are from Mizoram and are not African. The authors of African Beads say that they are probably Nigerian which seems to imply some doubt on their part as to their origin It is not my intention to offend anyone by contradicting an opinion but to give the right label to the beads in question.

Greatest thanks Judy. I am sure you are correct. And Adel would certainly have seen these in person. You have all been outstanding help with this Mystery Bead!

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!

And a picture of a metal belt fom the Chin from Myanmar who no longer can claim the Khond beads from India.
Thanks Joan.

Hendrik

And a picture of a metal belt fom the Chin from Myanmar who no longer can claim the Khond beads from India.
Thanks Joan.

Hendrik