Ancient and Antique Carnelian Beads from the West African Trade - Rita Okrent Collection (S675)

Luscious strand of ancient and antique carnelian beads from the West African trade. A few antique glass beads mixed in. Many  f these beads would have been originally manufactured by ancient stone bead makers in India, which has had a tradition of stone bead making since 6500 B.C. Some of these beads were traded to West Africa via ancient trade routes and used/worn for hundreds of years. Some of these were likely excavated from the Sahara, and are estimated at least 1000 years old.

This strand has ideal beads for design with a variety of hues and mainly smaller beads that could be used in earrings, bracelets and necklaces.
Bead size ranges from 6-13mm diameter.
95 beads excluding some broken beads on strand. (100 total).
23 inches of beads.
Age: Ancient and antique

Stone Item 675