A beautiful and collectible antique white heart glass bead, perfect for authentic historic reenactment and beaded regalia!
You receive: 0.4 ounce - approx. 280 - 3x3.5mm (approx.) GORGEOUS white heart glass beads, sheathed in a bright, AMAZINGLY clear cherry red glass - considering their age!
They are not round, but rather "squat rondeles" - almost wheel-shaped beads that possess 0.5mm (approx.) slightly uneven beading holes.
Each tiny bead contains a creamy-white, opaque glass "heart", sheathed within a layer of vivid translucent red!
See dime and cm ruler in second photo for visual sizing.
These are authentic, limited, antique glass beads, never used, made in Italy, about 100 years ago.
These are truly collectible beads, the type that you purchase now to be savored when they are unavailable later, the beads that you would use in a "specialty" piece, when choosing not to use more conventional, easy to obtain, "modern" beads.
Some history:
These beads were made by the Societa Veneziana Conterie, a consortium of 16 independent Venetian bead makers that joined together from 1898-1992 and created glass products, in a huge brick factory on the island of Murano, Italy.
The beads were hugely popular world-wide, especially in the 1920's and 30's, yet the Societa became comfortable after years of prosperity and failed to prepare for the inevitable change in tastes of today's consumer and the rising costs of energy, transportation and labor.
They shut down in 1992, selling 7 tons of antique bead inventory.
I have had the huge privilege of locating and purchasing a small cache of these beads, which EthnicBeadShop is making available to you for a limited time. Enjoy!
10.12+