Greetings and welcome, Joost!

These beads turn up now and then, sometimes offered as Naga associated (wrong!), I think because of the long dimensions sort of similar to the long Naga chank shell beads.

I've had the long ones (about 100mm) in the first image since the late 90s, a gift from a friend who got them possibly 10 years before that. The smaller one (about40mm) is from a batch found about 10 years ago.

Second image: Russ Nobbs shows some similar beads in a post from 11/2006, with these comments:

"Here's a picture of some similar beads that I know to be India made. These are about 100 mm long. These were shot from samples shown to me in Delhi last month. The beads are about 10 years old. I don't think any have been made in a while from these samples, at least by this particular bead broker."

Sorry I don't have more specific info re. exact location of manufacture.
Last quarter of the 20th c. would be a very safe estimate of time period.

Many thanks for helpful responses. The only thing I cannot understand is why places like Christie's got such very high prices for selling a bunch of them. Are these very difficult to make? Do people talk themselves into believing that they are older than they are? I am by no means expert on this subject (as you will gather!).

Hi Joost...another forum another conversation!!!
Do you have any links to the Christies auction, or details of the description they gave of the beads?
These are pretty common, and not an expensive bead at all.....I have to say, there have been cases of auction houses getting it very wrong in relation to beads especially.
Hope you are not too dissapointed, and I hope that you will find the forum very useful to your researches into your fabulous collections
Warm wishes
Sx

because they are mainly interested in the really sought-after high-end antiques, the big london auction houses consistently put exaggerated prices on items they are not well-informed about, and though really interesting beads are very seldom in the auctions, I have seen a bunch of these big Indian glass beads some years ago that sold for a typical excessive amount, and were not correctly described.

After I posted that picture in '06 I received a shipment of newly made ones that I ordered during my visit to New Delhi. The broker said he hadn't made any since the '70's. (That doesn't meant that none were made between the 1970's and 2008, just that this particular broker had not had any made for his business in the glass bead making village. Other brokes might have requested them.)

They sold very slowly and I have since discontinued them. These giant beads are more suitable for wall hangings and macrame than for jewelry.
I saved a few examples. If I had any left the close out link below would show them but they are gone.