A Short Strand of Ancient Excavated Islamic Period Translucent Blue Glass Beads 0472A-D

This listing is for a short strand of ancient Islamic Period translucent blue beads

Excavated in the areas of D'Jenne and Gao in Mali and some in Mauritania, these beads likely began their life as evil eye beads, but on these beads, the eyes were not preserved. They are dated to Islamic Period, between the 8th and 12th century AD. A good reference for the history and excellent illustrations of these beads is a book by Augusto Panini "Middle Eastern and Venetian Glass Beads: Eighth to Twentieth Centuries" ISBN 9788861301641.

When excavated, these beads are usually heavily covered with patina. The last photo of the listing shows what they look like before they are cleaned and preserved by a long and laborious process. Once cleaned, they are a stunning translucent blue color, with a greenish tint on some beads.

There are 4 strand options available in this listing:

Strand A 23 beads 10-16mm

Strand B 17 beads 12-15mm

Strand C 14 beads 9-14mm

Strand D 10 beads 13-15mm

Nicks, minor chips, and irregularities are expected in beads of this venerable age, but the beads overall are in a very good antique condition.

WE COMBINE SHIPPING and will refund any shipping overages Contact us when placing the order and we will work with you to ensure the best available shipping cost.
Weights and sizes are approximate.

IMPORTANT NOTE. In the world of beads, and especially ancient and antique beads, errors in identification are common. We do our best to research and classify our beads accurately, however mistakes are certainly possible. If you are a bead expert and notice any errors in description, we invite you to please contact us and let us know. We are always grateful for any new information. We also accept returns no questions asked. See our Return Policy for detail.

COLORS: Our photos are taken in different lighting in an attempt to show how beads look in different lighting conditions. We make every effort to show colors as accurately as possible. The white background photos are taken in daylight conditions. The black background photos are taken in the strong lab light, and would be representative of what they would look like in the evening electric light. Some of the photos are backlit to emphasize their translucency. Note that monitor settings strongly affect the way the colors look. What you see on your monitor may differ from what you see with a naked eye depending on your monitor settings.

WE COMBINE SHIPPING and will refund any overage. Contact us when placing the order and we will work with you to ensure the best available shipping cost.