Uwe, I'm pretty sure this is a chevron-ish bead, made in India.
These beads, that come in a range of styles and colors all have some resemblance to the Venetian chevrons. Some more than others. However, they are made with a different technique. So no molding the hot glass in a star shaped mold, layer by layer (like the Venetians) but bundling strips of glass together. It is called the 'hot-strip method', I think.
Some of them can be pretty convincing. I think this is the time to confess that my first chevrons were these Indian ones. I had read something about them on BCN, and saw some at a vintage shop. I thought I'd made a great bargain......
India was my first idea as well, and "chevron-ish" sounds good for me... :)
When I find the time I will try a more oval shape, where the red stripes end near the middle of the bead...later, much later...:) Thanks again and have fun in Tucson!
I found one of these at an antique flea market, made up to look like an antique hat pin. I was sure it was a valuable old chevron. Paid about 20 times what it was really worth. Joyce was very kind when she told me it was an modern Indian "strip method" look-alike and worth about a dollar. One of the first "educational fees" I paid while learning about old beads!
The brown ring is residue from the hat pin finding.
PS Floor, Santa brought me a Foldio and I'm making very nice pictures with it!
February 2021
Pseudo-chevron beads from India made their USA debut in 1985. I first saw and acquired them at the International Bead Conference in Long Beach California.
This is precisely what they looked like in 1985. It was not until about 1990 that their beads began to resemble the Venetian beads that they then attempted to copybut using the hot-strip method (and not cane molding, as practiced at Venice, and less than twenty years ago in China).
I would have posted this earlier, had I been aware of this dialogue.
JDA.
