Venetian White Heart Cornaline d'Aleppo ca. 1800's Glass Trade Beads

$ 900.00

  • Venetian White Heart Cornaline d'Aleppo ca. 1800's Glass Trade  Beads
  • Approx. 44" very long strand
  • Bead size is approx. 8mm x 12mm
  • Cornaline d'Aleppo (commonly known as "White Heart Beads", or "Hudson Bay Beads" in America) were a popular type of wound and drawn trade bead produced between 1800 through the early 1900s in Venice, Italy. Unlike the more elaborate Millefiori Beads and Chevrons, Cornaline d'Aleppo are more simple in appearance, comprising just two layers of different colored glass. The core is usually white to ocher yellow, while the outer layer (which wraps the core) is thicker, and ranges in color from burnt yellow to ruby red. A small quantity were also produced in varying shades of blue around the turn of the 20th Century, however, the most coveted were a seductive shade of dark ruby red. According to historical data, the brilliant red color of Cornaline d'Aleppo beads was a result of adding gold oxide to pink or violet glass.
  • It is a conjectured that French-speaking Peoples in Mali may have first used the word "Cornaline", French for Carnelian, a type of Agate often used as trade currency among Tribal Cultures in Africa at that time. "Aleppo" is the name of a town in Syria. It has been suggested that the reference to Aleppo might have been inspired by the fact that it was once an important trading post between Africa and Asia. African Traders would pass through cities on Historic Trade Routes, exchanging Carnelian beads for local essentials required in their travels.