Are these incredible beads hard to find today? i may bring some strands to Tucson- i find them fascinating for the varieties of opaque to transparent blue colours and the grainy textures that some have acquired through "recooking"-
let me know ASAP because I'm packing tomorrow, for flying Thursday morning
Stefany
Are these by any chance Aggrey beads? I always called them wound glass and let it go at that. I have a bunch. They may be imitations. Can you tell from this photo?
Nora
Well, I found a series of BeadCollector posts from 2006 that discuss this very topic. It seems my beads are drawn (not wound), either of European origin (early 1900s) or later beads from Ghana or Nigeria (koli or segi, not kori or Aggrey). Would love to hear confirmation from someone about this.
Nora
there is good article on these beads.
http://www.beadbabe.com/archives/html/yoruba_glass_beads_by_kwesi_am.html
Thanks! Does that mean my beads may be Yoruba segi? They are somewhat translucent under lights but opaque in my hand. They are "corded" (if I understand that term). They are of all different lengths and about 7 to 10 mm wide. The irregular perfs appear to be formed when hot, not drilled.
Any chance they are European, or European modified in Africa?
Nora
I am no expert, but these two are the true kori(Aggrey).
you can check the colour held up in the sun or strong light.
it should be like this dichroic yellow greenish colour.(best to see picture)
Thanks so much. That helps a lot!
Nora
