Antique Indonesian "Majapahit" Hand Carved Trade Glass Bead Necklaces

$ 750.00
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  • Antique Indonesian "Majapahit" Hand Carved Trade Glass Beads
  • Approx. 28" long
  • Bead size approx. 14mm to 21mm
  • The name Majapahit Trade Beads is a bit of a misnomer, as these exquisite old trade beads most likely originated in China anywhere between the 18th and 19th centuries.
  • Hand wound in beautiful colors ranging from a golden yellow to rare shades of chartreuse to vivid teal blues and greens, these would have been important trade beads across major Asian Routes and larger caches of them have been found in Indonesia, which is where they derive the exotic nickname of Majapahit beads, after the famed East Java Kingdom of the 13th to 16th centuries.
  • These Chinese trade beads called "Majapahit Beads" would have been created several hundred years later. The examples here in the shapes of delicately ridged "melons" and sweepingly fluted barrels would have been carved at a later date (possibly 20 to 50 years ago, and mostly likely commissioned by a bead dealer or collector in Asia) from old glass beads to create new and more exotic shapes. They are fascinating examples of a truly old bead transformed into a different shape and are very rare. 
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