I wish you lived nearby, so you could study my cloisonné bead collection. It would be fun to look at them closely with you. And you seem to be one of the few people in the world who would make me feel as if I had done the right thing holding onto them.

Also, I have a feeling that you will eventually know more about cloisonné beads than I do. Meanwhile, perhaps I should try to help and encourage your tenacity. And, when I find time, I may photograph some of my antique Chinese cloisonné beads for you.

However, not only are most of the cloisonné examples posted on your blog from the 1970's-80's, but the clasp and carnelian beads you just posted here on BCN are also from the 70's-80's. The small size of the hole on the cloisonné bead is the clearest evidence that these are later rather than earlier. (With the exception of some Ching Dynasty OPENWORK enameled beads.) The size of the aperture in 1930's-50's beads is much larger. The patterns and colors are also different. I find there is credible evidence for these facts.

Oftentimes, hearsay on eBay is not a believable record of ownership of a work of art or an antique. Furthermore, hearsay on eBay is not useful as a guide to authenticity or quality. It has been well established that some sellers often unwittingly feel forced to misrepresent their merchandise.

Eventually I may get around to making images of more of my beads for you. Although this is your treatise -not mine...Do you still have any older examples on hand to compare these with?

The leading San Francisco importer of these beads from 1967-2000, Eva Dang, lives about one mile from me. I was one of her customers during that time period. Am not sure whether she uses the internet or feels like corresponding. But I can ask when I run into her again.

This forum helps me learn something new everyday. And some of the best eBay sellers read and participate here.

Just Fred

Other vendors replicate this lore, despite the fact that this type of little purse was not even invented or popularized until the mid-1930s.

However, when a seller recently offered two of these purses in pristine condition with this statement:

"My mother brought two of these sweet enamel cloisonné clutches back from China around 1980"

I consider that credible evidence, as it matches the stylistic and fashion history clues as well as likely Chinese export production post-1971 and post-Cultural Revolution.

That said, surviving relatives often have inaccurate beliefs as to when the deceased acquired something - for jewelry in particular, the prevalent mistake is that something must have purchased when the wearer was young and glamorous, as if middle-aged women and old ladies never buy anything. So something purchased by Grandma from Nieman Marcus in 1989 magically becomes an item from the 1950s.

You will also no doubt recall that I did an examination of cloisonne beads in 1930s-early 1940s costume jewelry and Japanese obidome, noting the comparatively huge holes.

The question is always, are things that are stylistically dissimilar the result of a separation in time (different decades), a separation in place (different workshops, different cities), or both?

As to the carnelian & agate necklaces, the unanswered questions in my mind is that if they are pre-1971, for whom were they made? With what were they worn? So far I've found no credible answers to these questions.