Hi Paula,

It looks as though the perforation channel is somewhat tapered, with larger and smaller apertures. Is this the case? If so, the bead is not likley to be a Venetian bead, nor any typical European trade bead. It's more likely to be an Islamic Period bead.

Jamey

Jamey thanks, The larger perforation is .50 cm and the smaller one about .33 but I don't know how to measure width or tapering of the channel itself. How do you do it? With silly putty? I recall that when Mark Kenoyer lectured at the Bead Museum about Indus Valley beads he spoke about a method he had for measuring the channels of ancient stone beads.
How do you suggest we measure? TIA, Paula

I can't tell you the proper way of measuring, I just wanted to say HELLO and add that it sounds like you are vey busy traveling and finding beads all over the globe! I hope you are having a great time and I am looking forward to more of your updates!!!
Thomas

Hi Paula,

Unless one is preparing to enter into something like a statistical analysis, I don't think their is much point of measuring perforations on glass beads.

When Mark measures the perforation of an agate bead, he's doing this as a significant part of studying the manner and type of drilling. He uses a caliper, like a slide rule, that has tiny prongs that can be inserted into some beads and measure aperture diameter.

The casting of the perforation channel (in dental silicon) is done to see the details of the drilling—the actual marks of the drill bit on the walls of perforations. These casts are viewed with the help of a Scanning Electron Microscope.

For our purposes, ands particularly with glass beads, the object is merely to determine whether the perforation has parallel or converging sides (is straight or tapered), and of course helpful stuff like whether their is separating compound, mandrel flaking, or nothing in the perforation.

Since Venetians didn't make beads with tapered perforations, while many Islamic Period beads do have them, and since your bead has one..., it stands to reason it is not a Venetian bead.

Jamey

In the intervening years sine 2006, similar beads have come to light.

So now we can know with confidence that Paula's bead is an old African powderglass bead.

Refer to Wild Beads of Africa (2017) for several similar specimens. Jamey

February 2024

Having composed the book Wild Beads of Africa with Billy Steinberg in 2018, I can now remark that I recognize this to be an antique powderglass bead, probably made by a Krobo craftsman.

I will show two photos from the book for comparison. The second photo shows a somewhat larger and more-elaborate oblate bead that also has spiral appliqués.

JDA

Well, it's years later, and I happened to run across this post asking for an ID.

I now realize this is a powderglass bead from Ghana—the likes of which can be seen in the book I wrote with Billy Sternberg: Wild Beads Of Africa (2017). Jamey

April 25, 2023

This is a Ghana powderglass bead from ca. 100 to 150 years ago. It can be compared to beads we show in Wild Beads of Africa (2017),documenting the Billy Steinberg Collection.

JDA.